


Between the Two of Us

by thewickedkings



Category: The Folk of the Air - Holly Black
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Highschool AU, Jude is oblivious as usual, Slow Burn, and cardan is a pining idiot, and now i just want easy happy fluff, cardan greenbriar - Freeform, feel good fic, jude duarte - Freeform, literally no angst except towards the end, plot? we don't know her, probably because covid stressed me tf out, super fluffy, the cruel prince - Freeform, the queen of nothing, the wicked king, there is literally no drama, this is so self-indulgent dont come for me lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:41:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26883808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewickedkings/pseuds/thewickedkings
Summary: Rivals Jude and Cardan are forced to partner up for a high school history project,  and drama ensues.
Relationships: Jude Duarte & Taryn Duarte, Jude Duarte & the Bomb, Jude Duarte/Cardan Greenbriar, Taryn Duarte/Locke, The Bomb/The Roach (The Folk of the Air)
Comments: 59
Kudos: 132





	1. Chapter 1

Jude Duarte was spending her second period history class plotting a murder. If asked, she might have said she was being purely hypothetical, but she’d be lying. After all, she would be doing the school, and the world, a service by murdering Cardan Greenbriar.

She could already imagine herself receiving a badge of honor, crowds chanting her name for ridding the world of such a nuisance.

An image of his infuriating smirk after he had ‘accidentally’ knocked over her morning coffee popped up in her head. Thankfully, the coffee had cooled down a bit, so she was just left with a coffee stain on her sleeve and a severe lack of caffeine. Regardless, Cardan knew she needed her coffee to function in the morning, and that she had an important physics test to take first period.

She played with the edge of her notebook and contemplated the best method for his murder. Maybe a quick stab and run? No, definitely too painless. It needed to be slow and satisfying. Poison? That seemed like a viable option. She would just have to find a way to order some without it being tracked back to her. Maybe she could slip it into-

“Jude. Are you paying attention?” Her teacher’s voice yanked her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah, yeah I am. Sorry.” Thankfully he couldn’t read her mind. He’d be calling the school therapist, or the police.

“As I was saying,” Mr. Parker continued, “I’m going to pair you guys off for the next assignment, and you will be choosing a social issue to discuss and relate it to a historic event or movement. Show me why the issue is important and what we can do to work towards change. I want you to be creative with this. This will be 20 percent of your final grade, so don’t just write me an essay.”

Jude internally groaned, since that was exactly what she had planned to do. Now she would actually have to spend time on it, because she really needed that 20 percent to keep her A in the class.

“I’m passing out a worksheet with more details. I expect you to have a topic and an outline of your plan for your project by Monday. And before you ask, I’ll be assigning partners.”

Jude’s heart sunk. They couldn’t even choose their partners for a semester long project? That was just cruel. She’d much rather work alone. Hopefully she would just end up with Taryn. Having a twin did have its advantages sometimes.

Mr. Parker started pairing students up at random.

“Taryn, you’ll work with…” Jude perked up. “Locke.” So much for that.

“Jude, you can work with…” He surveyed the classroom until his eyes landed on a quiet kid named Nick. Jude let out a sigh of relief. She barely knew him, but she would be fine working with him.

Before he could say his name, the door to the classroom swung open, and in walked in the last person Jude wanted to see: Cardan Greenbriar, his sharp black hair slightly mussed and his smile gloriously confident as if he hadn’t just missed almost the entirety of the class.

“Mr. Parker. Sorry I’m late,” he said, in his annoyingly smooth voice.

Jude snorted incredulously, and Cardan’s gaze turned to her, a smirk forming on his lips at the coffee stain on her sleeve. She gazed back, unwavering.

Mr. Parker interrupted their stare-off. “I’ll let it slide this time, but don’t expect me to be so forgiving next time.”

He turned back to Jude. “In fact, Cardan, you can be Jude’s partner on the semester project. You’ll be working on it both in and out of class. She’ll fill you in on the details later.”

Both Jude and Cardan looked up in alarm. Since the day they had met, Cardan and Jude had not gotten along. What started off as petty insults had grown into a full-blown rivalry, both of them constantly battling to one-up the other. There was absolutely no way they work together. And for once, it seemed they were in agreement.

“Wait what? Mr. Parker, what about Nick?” she scrambled right as Cardan choked out, “Me and Jude? You’re joking.”

“Wait, who’s Nick?” Cardan asked, completely unhelpfully. Nick shifted awkwardly in the corner.

She shot Cardan a glare and turned back to Mr. Parker. “I think it would be better for all of us if I partnered with Nick.”

Except Mr. Parker seemed to be on an entirely different wavelength. “Actually,” he looked between them, almost amused, “I think this project would be the perfect opportunity for you guys to work on your teamwork skills. I’m sure you two can work something out.”

Before Jude could protest again, he gave her a stern look. “Go sit down and start brainstorming. I’m not changing my mind. I expect a rough outline by Monday.”

She trudged back to her seat, and Cardan followed.

“Well then, partner, it seems we have a project to plan.”

Jude scoffed. “We’ll just do something easy and get it over with.”

“Mr. Hicks mentioned this being a semester long project, Duarte. You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” he smirked.

“Just like this dumb coffee stain. This shirt was expensive, you know.”

Of course, Cardan chose to completely ignore that. “He also said we’ll have to work on it outside of class, so you’ll be seeing me whether you like it are not.”

“Why are you suddenly so excited to work with me?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

The bell rang before he could reply, signaling the end of the class.

Cardan reached underneath her desk for her backpack and handed it to her. “So when should we meet to discuss the outline?”

“What? Why would I want to meet up?” Jude asked, grabbing her backpack from his hands and walking to the door.

He strode into the hallway after her. “If I recall correctly, Mr. Parker said we have to have an outline by Monday, and if I’m not wrong, today is Friday. Which means we have the weekend to figure out our outline, unless you want to fail, or do it by yourself, which I’m completely fine with, by the w-”

“Okay, okay, fine!” she threw her hands up in surrender. “We can meet up Saturday.”

“I’ll come over to your place at 11:00. Sound good?”

“What? Why my place?” But he had already started walking away.

“Take it or leave it, Duarte. I have a lot of other things I could be doing,” he yelled across the hallway, walking backwards towards his locker. His unruly curls flopped perfectly over his forehead, one arm holding the strap of his backpack.

Jude rolled her eyes. “Fine! See you then, Greenbriar. Don’t be late!” she hollered back over her shoulder and disappeared into the throngs of students rushing to their next class.

She felt a couple people staring at her curiously. It was pretty well-known that Jude and Cardan were rivals. They hadn’t exactly kept the antagonism between them to themselves.

And now they would be forced to work together for the rest of the semester. She sighed. She really needed to find some of that poison as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This began as my self-indulgent quarantine fic and then spiraled into this. I don't really have a plan for this, just a couple random scenes, but it's fun to write so I wrote it lol. Anyways, I hope you liked it! The first seven chapters are already posted on my tumblr but I'll transfer them here over the next week. I also have a couple other fics on tumblr that I'll be posting here soon.  
> You can follow me there @/thewickedkings  
> Thanks for reading :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr @/thewickedkings :))

Jude stepped out her warm shower and into her bath robe, humming softly to herself. She’d gotten up early and went for a run, so she still had half an hour before Cardan was supposed to come over. Maybe she’d make herself a nice comforting breakfast to mentally prepare herself. She’d definitely need the extra dose of comfort food before dealing with Cardan. And to think she would have to do this for the rest of the semester. 

_Happy thoughts,_ she reminded herself. _Think happy thoughts._

She opened her bathroom door, drying her hair off with her towel, and immediately jumped back in surprise, her towel slipping from her fingers. 

Cardan Greenbriar was in her room. He was in her room, lounging on her chair, completely at ease as if he wasn’t in her bedroom. She blinked to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. 

Cardan looked up at her from where he sat on her chair, smirking. “Forget about our meeting?”

Jude’s mouth hung open in shock. She quickly closed it, her brain scrambling to catch up with the situation. “I didn’t forget. But it seems you forgot we were supposed to meet at 11:30, not 11:00, Cardan.”

“I’m nearly positive I said 11:00, _Jude._ ” He leaned back in her chair, amused. “But maybe I’ll make a habit of coming early.” His eyes lowered from her dripping hair and landed on her bathrobe, and Jude felt herself blush.

“Shut up.” She marched over to her closet, grabbed the first outfit she could find, and walked back to her bathroom. “Give me a second, and then we’ll get this over with,” she growled, and tried not to slam the door behind her.

She looked up into the mirror, and realized she looked worse than she thought. Her brown hair hung down the side of her face in wet strands, and her cheeks were flushed, a side effect of dealing with Cardan.

Something about the way Cardan always seemed so in control of the situation got on her nerves, and she wanted to, for once, have the upper hand with him. He never seemed fazed, and Jude both envied and hated him for it. 

She combed out her hair and changed into a casual shirt and mom jeans, doing her best to make sure it didn’t look like she tried in any way for him. 

When she walked back in the room, Cardan was looking at his phone, his brow furrowed. Jude had to admit that it was jarring to see him against the messy clutter of her room, and she felt somewhat exposed at him seeing the space she had made her own. 

With his attention on his phone, Jude gave him a quick once over. He wore faded skinny jeans that were ripped at the knees and a soft black sweatshirt. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the faded scar just above his sharp jawline, and a small part of her wondered how he had gotten it.

Cardan caught her gaze. “Like what you see?”

She made a gagging sound. “You wish. Come on, let’s go downstairs. I need food before dealing with you.”

“What, haven’t had coffee yet?”

She threw her folder at him and walked towards the door. “I hate you.”

“Do you?” He raised his eyebrows as he deftly caught the folder and got up to follow her. “Besides, I was just getting you back for changing my locker combination. How the hell did you do that? It took me three days to figure it out.”

She smiled. She was particularly proud of that. It seemed her hour of practice and watching Youtube videos had been worth it. “I am a woman of many talents.”

He snorted. “Well, I’m sure you can include lock-picking on your resume, right under thief.” 

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed eggs from the fridge. “I didn’t steal your car keys. I just conveniently misplaced them. Do you want some?” she asked as she cracked an egg into a bowl.

“No thanks. How will I know you didn’t ‘accidentally’ poison them?” 

Jude’s thoughts flashed back to her plans to poison him and she choked back a laugh. That was a little too close to the truth.  
Their conversation was interrupted by Jude’s older sister Vivi, who came rushing down the stairs, shoes on and car-keys in hand. 

She paused when she saw Cardan leaning against the kitchen counter. “I see Jude’s finally brought home a b- Cardan?”

Jude ignored the fact that Vivi had just exposed her nonexistent love life and asked, “You two know each other?”

Vivi smiled. “I went to high school with his sister. How do you know Cardan?” She wagged her eyebrows playfully.

Jude shot her a glare.

“We have classes together,” Cardan responded. “But Jude clearly wanted to get to know me better, if you know what I mean, and so she generously invited me over to ‘work’ on our history project together.”

Jude scowled. “I didn’t invite you. You invited yourself.”

“If you say so. But I know you wanted me to come over.”

Jude fumed and looked at Vivi. “He’s delusional.”

But Vivi just looked between them with a knowing smile.

“What?” Jude snapped.

Before Vivi could say anything, Cardan pointed to the stove behind her. “Uh, Jude, I think your eggs are burning.”

“Crap.” She ran and lifted the pan from the stove, but it was too late. The eggs were already black around the edges. She opened the trash can and dumped the eggs inside angrily. 

She turned back around, and both Cardan and Vivi were trying to keep a straight face.

“I hate you guys.”

“Ah, so it’s not just me she hates,” Cardan responded wryly.

Vivi examined the remains of her scrambled egg that were still stuck on the pan. “I don’t know how you managed to mess up scrambled eggs.”

“She did tell me she was a woman of many talents,” Cardan said solemnly, before both of them broke into laughter.

~~~

After Vivi left on a mysterious date she wouldn’t say anything about and Jude remade her eggs, they were actually able to get some work done. Jude tried not to let her surprise show when Cardan actually gave helpful input and took the project seriously, instead of sitting back and letting her do all the work like she had expected. 

When Jude had suggested women’s rights as their topic, instead of dismissing the idea like a jerk, he suggested doing something more specific, and together they decided to do their project on the gender wage gap in the United States. She’d thought Cardan was just another dumb rich kid with too much time on his hands, and maybe he was, but she realized he was smarter than she gave him credit for. 

By the time they were finished, Jude was actually proud of their outline. She looked up at the time and realized it was already half past one. She had to be at work for her first shift at two. 

Jude had applied for a job at Courtside Coffee, a small coffee shop that was not too far from their school. She hoped to have a decent amount of savings before college. Jude didn’t want to depend on her sort-of father any more than she already had to. Madoc had taken them in when her parents had died despite the fact that they weren’t his biological children, but that didn’t mean she was going to keep taking his charity money throughout college.

Jude cleared her throat. “Um, I have work at two so I have to go. I think we did enough so far.”

Cardan got up and started picking up their papers. “Yeah, we’re pretty much done anyways.”

Jude went to grab her keys from the key holder on the wall, except they weren’t there. Frustration prickled up her neck. She’d told Taryn she needed the car today. 

She picked up her phone and called her. After a couple of rings, Taryn answered, her voice lowered. “Hey, Jude. I’m kind of busy right now.”

“Taryn, I need the car. I told you I had my first shift at work today.”

“Oh, shoot. I forgot, sorry.”

Jude clenched her fists. This wasn’t the first time Taryn had conveniently forgotten Jude needed the car. “Well, where are you? How am I supposed to get to work?” Her voice raised in frustration. 

“Uhhh… I’m kind of on a date?”

“You’re on a date? With who?” Of course both of her sisters were on dates today and she was stuck here with Cardan, she thought bitterly. 

“I’ll tell you later. Can’t you just get a ride with Cardan? He’s still there right?”

Jude realized she must have let Cardan in this morning before she left. “Are you serious?”

“Come on Jude. I’m too far anyways to get back in time for your shift.”

“Fine,” Jude responded, her voice clipped, and hung up. Another reason she had wanted this job was to save up for her own car. Sharing with Taryn clearly wasn’t working.

She felt Cardan’s gaze on her. Heat prickled up her neck when she realized Cardan had probably heard the whole conversation. 

“Is there something you need to ask me?” Cardan asked, playing with his keys innocently. 

She gritted her teeth. “Can you give me a ride to work, Cardan?”

“I thought you hated me,” he said coyly, crossing his arms and leaning back against the doorway. 

“Cardan, come on,” her eyes flicked to the clock. She had to be there in fifteen minutes.

“Wait, let me just savor this a little bit. Jude Duarte, begging for my help.”

“Cardan, I’m going to be late. Is it a yes or a no?”

“I’ll take you, but only if you come to one of my parties.”

Jude blinked. This had to be some sort of trick. “You want me to come to one of your parties?”

Cardan was notorious around the school for the parties he threw. From what she’d heard, they were typical high school parties, filled with bored kids that wanted to get drunk. Her first and only experience at a high school party had involved her awkwardly hiding out in the kitchen eating snacks while a couple made out against the fridge, and it was safe to say she wasn’t looking for a repeat of that incident. But she was desperate.

“Fine, I’ll go to your dumb party. Let’s go already.”

Jude grabbed her phone and wallet before walking to the door. 

Cardan held it open for her, grinning a little too wide. “After you, my lady.”

Something told her this would come back to haunt her in the future.


	3. Chapter 3

The car ride with Cardan was strangely quiet. Other than asking where she needed to be dropped off, Cardan remained silent. It seemed that besides arguing, they didn’t have much to say to each other. The radio hummed in the background, and Jude let herself relax into her seat.

Cardan sat lazily in the driver’s seat, one hand draped on the wheel. With the afternoon sunlight highlighting the planes of his face, Jude glanced at Cardan and found herself strangely curious about his life. She wondered what he would do after dropping her off, how he spent his weekends, who he spent his weekends with. 

She wondered if he was still dating Nicasia, the girl he had dated since sophomore year. She’d heard rumors they’d broken up. Nicasia was the only girl he’d ever seriously dated besides the series of girls he’d flirted with. She hated how easily they fell for his charm, but she knew better. 

Jude shook the thoughts from her head, annoyed at herself for thinking about Cardan. It was probably the stress from the past week getting to her. Between school and soccer practice and now work, Jude’s semester had been jam-packed. 

Once she got to college, things would change. She would let herself make friends and have fun and be normal. She could reinvent herself as someone people could like. Then she would finally be happy, because it was a path for herself that she had paved on her own, that she had control of. For now, she would just trudge through high school so she could get into college and finally move out.

Cardan turned into the parking lot of the café, and Jude was suddenly overwhelmed with a random burst of apprehension. She had quit her last job at an ice cream parlor because of her coworker, Valerian. At first, he used her to blame for his own mistakes. And because she was new, the boss took his word. Then came the prickling glances and veiled threats, the lingering gazes on the back of her neck, watching her for any mistakes.

She remembered those fearful late nights when the store had emptied, leaving her alone with him, and shivered. Though she hadn’t let her fear show, it seeped through her veins, keeping her on high alert when she had shifts with him. She had hated the feeling of powerlessness, the inability to grasp control of the situation, and eventually quit before Valerian got her fired and ruined her future job prospects. She desperately wanted this job to be better.

Cardan parked the car, pulling her out of her anxious spiral. She fidgeted with the zipper on her wallet, not wanting to go inside just yet. For some reason, Cardan’s car seemed a better option than facing her first day at work.

Cardan turned to look at her expectantly, and Jude slid on her unworried, confident mask like a second skin. And yet she felt like his gaze could see right through her, see that what she showed to the world wasn’t always the truth. 

She cleared her throat. “Thanks for driving me.”

“No problem.” He paused. “I’d say good luck, but I don’t think you need it.”

Her lips quirked up in a hint of a smile, slightly surprised that Cardan knew exactly what she needed to hear in that moment. She exhaled, reached for the door handle, and stepped out. Cardan looked like he wanted to say more, but then closed his mouth. Suddenly feeling awkward, Jude quickly shut the door behind her with a quick “thanks again” and walked to the entrance.

~~~

Her first day at work was way better than she could have expected. Her boss told her to shadow her new coworker for her first few shifts until she got the hang of the job. Her coworker, who introduced herself as the Bomb, had a cloud of white hair that contrasted with her flawless brown skin, and she radiated a sense of genuineness that Jude instantly liked. 

As she showed Jude how to make different beverages, Jude couldn’t help but ask, “So what’s with the name?” She winced, realizing how rude that had probably sounded. She definitely wasn’t a very good people person.

But the Bomb just smiled at her, unfazed. “Real name’s Liliver. I accidently, um, made the blender explode, as one does, so I got stuck with the Bomb,” she said sheepishly. 

Jude snorted.

“I’m lucky I got a ‘cool’ one, I guess,” she continued. “You’ll meet my friends the Roach and the Ghost in your next shifts. It’s kind of our thing. Stay here long enough and you’ll get one too.”

Jude felt a little intimidated by their already established friendship, but the Bomb was nice enough, so she figured she wouldn’t hate working with the Roach and the Ghost. 

After the Bomb went through the steps of a few of the most popular drinks, she demonstrated how to work the register as she took a customer’s order. Jude caught on pretty quickly, and the Bomb left her to man the register while she made some drinks.

She breathed in the comforting smell of coffee and let her nerves settle. She could get used to this place. The small store was the definition of cozy, with booths to the side and elegant greenery adorning the back wall of the shop. A couple students sat on the barstools next to the counter, backpacks tucked underneath their seats.

The door to the coffee shop opened, and her eyes shifted to the guy with orangish brown hair who had just walked in. 

He approached the counter, and Jude was surprised to realize it was Locke, one of Cardan’s lackeys. Jude automatically tensed. 

Although he hadn’t outright bullied her in middle school, he hadn’t opposed to it when Cardan and his friends did. He’d matured since then, at least from what Jude could tell, and mostly just left her alone. 

Even though he was always the least cruel of Cardan’s little group, she was still surprised when he smiled at her and slid into the barstool in front of her.

“Hey, Jude. Didn’t know you worked here.”

Jude was even more surprised that he recognized who she was so quickly. Most people from school just called her Duarte instead of trying to figure out which twin she was. “Yeah, it’s my first day. I haven’t really got the hang of making the drinks yet, but I can take your order.”

After Locke rattled off his order and paid, he took the barstool nearest to her and said, “So, I saw your last soccer game. You literally won the game. Didn’t know you were that good.”

Jude knew she was good, but she took the compliment anyway. “Thanks. I’ve been playing since freshman year, so you could say I’ve improved.”

“Yeah, you definitely have,” he replied, giving her a charming smile. 

Jude’s brain came up with the sudden, unbidden realization that he was kind of cute. Distracted, she fumbled for a response. “Yeah, I guess.”

Before an awkward silence could set in, Locke asked, “So… how’s your history project coming along? You figure out what your topic is?” 

Again, Jude was surprised he’d noticed they were in the same class. They literally never talked. “Yeah, Cardan and I figured out our outline.”

Locke’s eyebrows flew up. “I forgot you were working with him. How’s that going?”

Jude smiled at that. “It’s going. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be, but I don’t know how long that will last.”

“I’m just surprised you didn’t already murder him.”

Jude let out a laugh at that. “I mean, we’ll see. We still have the rest of the semester.”

Locke grinned at her, and Jude’s neck heated. Before she could think of what that meant, the Bomb called her. 

“Jude, drink’s ready!”

Jude walked across to her to get Locke’s coffee. 

The Bomb leaned over her and asked her in a low voice, “Who’s the guy?”

“Just someone I know from school. We’ve never really talked until now.”

“Well, he’s clearly interested.”

Jude looked up at her, surprised. “Really?”

“I’ve seen so many meet-cutes here that I’ve practically become an expert.”

Jude looked at her incredulously. “You could tell he was interested from one two-second conversation?”

The Bomb just rolled her eyes at her and pushed her back towards Locke. “Trust me. Now go, before it becomes obvious we’re talking about him.”

Jude walked back over to Locke and handed him the drink. 

“Thanks.” He got up and picked up keys. “I’ll see you at your game next week?”

“Yeah. I’ll be there.”

He shot her a smile over his shoulder as he walked out the café. 

Jude took the next customer’s order with a newfound spirit. The Bomb smirked at her knowingly. Maybe this job wouldn’t be too bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s chapter three!! Let me know what you think :) Yes, yes, I know, Locke sucks, but we’ll get some good JurdanTM content next chapter. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

It was Thursday morning, and Jude’s nerves thrummed with anticipation. She leaned against a pillar in the school hallway, slowly sipping her coffee. Students milled about, grabbing their books before first period, and Jude stood still, waiting.   
Any minute now. 

Her eyes caught a head of dark curls in the crowd, and she smiled. Cardan walked obliviously towards their first period class, maneuvering swiftly through the clusters of lingering students.

And then came Amanda Williams from the other end of the hallway, striding purposefully towards Cardan. Amanda Williams was perhaps the most ambitious student in the school, involved in almost every single club in the school and volunteering in all her free time. Jude both admired her and feared her. 

Amanda approached Cardan, and Jude watched the scene play out from afar. It made it exceedingly funnier that she couldn’t actually hear what they were saying but had to go off Cardan’s confused, awkward smile and Emily’s enthusiastic hand gestures.  
She nearly snorted her coffee when Cardan started backing away, his hands held up in confusion, while Emily followed him unrelentingly. 

The bell rang, and Cardan took the opportunity to bolt. He turned around, heading in her direction, but Jude slipped into the crowd before he could spot her.

By the time Jude got to her fifth period class, Jude’s spirits were exceptionally high. She took out her fancy colored pens out from her pencil case cheerfully while she waited for class to begin.

Her careful organization was interrupted when Cardan barged in, storming towards her desk.

“Duarte, you are going to pay for this,” he seethed. He slammed a Save the Turtles flyer on her desk.

“For what?” she responded innocently, rearranging her pens on her desk noncommittally. She looked down at the flyer. “Awww, this turtle’s so adorable. I didn’t know you cared about endangered species. Maybe you do have a heart somewhere in there.”

His palms flattened on her desk as he towered over her. “Jude, I do not have the time to convince thirty people that no, I did not start a club to save the sea turtles, and no, I didn’t know who put up flyers with my name and email on it all over the school saying I did.” He paused, eyes narrowing. “Except wait, I did know.” 

It took everything she had not to laugh in his face. She silently thanked the girls she had overheard at lunch a few days ago having a passionate conversation about saving the turtles and metal straws. Still seething from the coffee incident, a plan had begun to form in Jude’s mind. After 10 minutes designing a flyer with a cute little sea turtle and a trip to the school printer, Jude’s plan was in place. 

She kept her expression completely serious. “That must have been so hard for you. People can be so annoying sometimes. Just last week, some guy knocked over my coffee, and he didn’t even apologize. Can you imagine?” She bit her lip to stop her smile.

Cardan’s dark eyes flashed. “Jude, I swear I’m going to-”

“Mr. Greenbriar, it seems you’re in the wrong class,” the teacher interrupted.

Jude chirped in. “Sorry. He was just telling me about the club he was starting to save the sea turtles. He’s very passionate about it.”

The lethal glare Cardan sent her way promised vengeance, and she felt a tingle make its way up her spine. 

He swallowed, unclenching his fists. When he turned back to the teacher, his expression cleared. “Sorry. Just clarifying something. I’ll leave right now.”

He walked over to the door and shut it carefully behind him, as if resisting the urge to slam it.

Jude leaned back in her chair, satisfaction thrumming through her. Pissing off Cardan just so, so fun. 

~~~

Jude’s breath came out in pants as she sat on the bench and drank from her water bottle. The soccer game was tied with five minutes to go, and it was taking everything Jude’s team had to keep it that way. Tisdale High was much more formidable than Jude had expected, and Jude’s team was barely managing to stop all their goals, much less make any of their own. 

The referee blew the whistle, and Jude wiped her brow and went back into the game with a renewed vigor. She wasn’t going to settle for a tie, not yet at least. 

Jude had started soccer in her freshman year so she could have an extracurricular on her resume and to have some sort of stress-relief, but she’d come to love the adrenaline that came with the sport.

The clock ticked as a girl with neon orange cleats stole the ball from their team again. When the girl made to pass the ball across the field, Jude anticipated her move and shot forward, blocking the ball before it could reach her teammate. 

With the ball back in their possession, Jude dribbled up the field, working the ball around the defense. Out of the corner of her eye, Jude saw Nicasia standing to the left of the goal, the perfect angle to make a goal. 

Jude hesitated. Just last week, Nicasia had chosen to take a shot for a near-impossible goal instead of passing to Jude, who had been in a clear spot to make the point. They had ended up winning after Jude had scored a goal in the last half, but Jude was angry that Nicasia had brought their antagonism to the field. She’d thought they’d gotten over their differences, but apparently they hadn’t.

All this passed through Jude’s head in a split second. The defense player she had tripped out was gaining on her, and Jude had to make a decision.

In a move they’d trained hundreds of times in practice, Jude faked right and then passed to Nicasia. Nicasia shot the ball straight into the net, and the crowd broke into cheers. Apparently, there was little Jude wouldn’t do if it meant winning.

As the team swarmed her, Jude walked the other way to the side of the field. Just because she had let Nicasia make the goal didn’t mean she would be happy about it. 

She flopped onto the grass, letting the adrenaline of the game fade. She looked up at the soft crunch of grass next to her.

“Hey, that was a good game you played. Your pass basically saved the game,” said Locke, sitting down next to her. 

“Thanks,” Jude replied, shrugging. His arm grazed hers, and Jude remembered what the Bomb had said, and wondered if her words could be true, if Locke could actually be interested in her. 

She suddenly felt self-conscious about the sweat on her body and hoped she didn’t smell too bad. “Do you come to watch our games a lot?”

“I come every once in a while. But I’ve started to come a lot more recently,” he said, giving her a meaningful look.

“Oh.” Jude flushed. Ok, so maybe he was interested in her.

Locke ran his hand through his hair. “Ok, so the real reason I came today was because I was wondering if you would maybe want to get dinner with me tomorrow? Like a… date?”

“Really?” Jude said, before quickly adding, “I mean, yeah, sure!” 

Locke grinned at her, and Jude’s mood immediately rose. It was definitely nice to have a guy’s attention, to feel wanted. 

After they exchanged numbers, Jude walked over to the bleachers where Vivi and Oak sat. Oak was waiting at the bottom for her.  
“Jude, that pass was so good! You stole the ball and then faked to the right, and then…” he chattered excitedly, mimicking her performance with a practice soccer ball. 

She felt a rush of affection for him and ruffled his hair. “Thanks, Oakey.” Even though they weren’t related through blood, Jude loved him more than anything.

She spotted Vivi on her phone at the top of the bleachers but stopped when she saw who was sitting in the second row.

“Nice pass,” Cardan said wryly, leaning back and stretching his legs. “No goals today?” 

Jude’s eyes narrowed. All of the anger he had shown on Thursday was mysteriously absent from his eyes, meaning he had something planned.

She ignored his comment and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I can’t show some school spirit?”

“No.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Okay, okay, there’s something I have to talk to you about.”

“Yeah, no thanks.” She didn’t have the patience for Cardan’s antics right now. She was in actually in a good mood after Locke had asked her out and wanted it to last.

She moved to maneuver around him, but he snagged her wrist. “Wait.”

She paused at the touch, the warmth of his skin seeping into hers. 

When he noticed her gaze on his hand, he dropped her hand as quickly as he had grabbed it. “I need your number for the project.” 

She looked at him suspiciously, wondering if this was for one of his schemes.

“Jude, we have assignments due. How else are we supposed to communicate?”

“Fine. Give me your phone.”

He pulled it out of his pocket and stood up, and suddenly they were standing too close, only mere inches separating them. She shuffled backwards, forgetting they were on bleachers, and the back of her thighs hit the row behind her. She stumbled, her hand flying out instinctively and grabbing Cardan’s arm for balance.

She quickly pulled her hand away, but not before she felt the muscle beneath her palm. Her body suddenly became hyper aware of his physicality, making her cheeks burn.

“If you wanted to touch me, you don’t have to pretend to fall over.” He looked down at her, eyes sparking playfully. His voice was low, just for her, and she swallowed and stepped back farther. 

“I didn’t pretend to fall over,” she shot back without thinking, unnecessarily flustered. This conversation was quickly veering out of her control. 

He looked at her teasingly, as if he knew what effect he was having on her. “Right.”

“Just give me your phone.” She quickly typed her number in and gave it back to him. “There.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it, Jude?”

Something about the way he said her name grated on her nerves. Instead of responding to him, she lifted her middle finger at him from behind her back as she climbed past him on the bleachers, and Cardan laughed.

When she reached Vivi’s spot on the bleachers, Vivi gave her a curious look, but she just mumbled, “Let’s go home.”

As Oak chattered to Vivi on the car ride home, Jude slumped back into her seat, her feet sore after a long day at school and a grueling game. Her mind wandered aimlessly, and Jude found her thoughts repeatedly flitting back to a certain boy, and it wasn’t the one who had asked her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this fic 90% banter between Jude and Cardan? Yes. Am I mad about it? No.


	5. Chapter 5

Jude went through her shift at work in a distracted haze. Locke had texted her this morning that he would pick her up at 6:30 and to dress casually. The reality of her situation set in. She was going on a date. With a boy.

“Jude, are you okay? You look… tense,” the Bomb said as walked past Jude to the blender. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She paused, hesitating. The Bomb had noticed Locke was into her. “Okay, so I might have a date tonight. With the guy that came in last week.”

The Bomb’s face lit up. “Wow, he moved faster than I expected. Do you like him?”

Jude’s face scrunched up. “I mean… I think. He’s cute.” When the Bomb made a face, she added, “and nice!”

“Okay… so what’s wrong?”

Jude had no idea how to express everything that was bothering her, so she just said, “I have no idea what to wear.”

The Bomb smiled. “That, I can help you with.”

~~~

A couple hours later, after they had finished up their shift, Jude was watching as the Bomb sifted through the clothes in her closet. It was slightly disconcerting to see her coworker in her bedroom, but Jude found that she didn’t mind.

“These pants are so cute!” The Bomb exclaimed. “You are going to look so good in these.” She tossed them at Jude. “Try these with a black tank top. Oooh, and this belt. How have you never worn any of these clothes before?”

Jude laughed and walked into the bathroom. “I never had you to style my outfits for me, that’s why.”

When she returned from the bathroom, the Bomb gave her an approving look. The tan plaid pants loosely fitted her legs and cutoff around her ankles. They were cinched at the waist by a black belt, with her black tank top tucked in. When Jude looked in the mirror, she was surprised to find she liked how it looked on her. 

“How do you like it?” The Bomb asked.

“I think… I think I really like it,” Jude replied, a hesitant smile pulling at her lips. She rubbed her arms self-consciously. “But maybe with a jacket on top.”

The Bomb grinned. “Yeah, I was thinking you could wear this black jean jacket on top. What shoes though?”

Jude dug to the back of her closet and pulled out her doc martens. She’d barely worn them, usually opting for the comfort of her converse, but she had a feeling they would work with her outfit. 

“Yes, perfect. Those. You are going to knock that boy off his feet.” 

A strange feeling enveloped Jude. She’d always imagined that Taryn would be there freaking out with her on her first date, but when Jude had tried to bring it up to her, Taryn had just mumbled a “cool.” They’d always been close, especially after the death of their parents, sticking together through everything that had changed in their lives after. But recently, Jude felt a distance growing between them that had never been there before, and she had no idea why. Even Vivi had her own life in college, and she only visited on the weekends. 

Jude swallowed, sorting out her thoughts. “I- thanks. For helping me. I’m not the best at this stuff.” She gestured vaguely at the clothes littered on her bed. 

The Bomb beamed, sitting down on the edge of Jude’s bed. “It’s no problem. I love messing around with clothes. And my love life has been pretty boring recently, so it’s fun to do this with you.” 

“I feel like I saw some sparks between you and a certain someone on Wednesday.” Jude had been introduced to the Roach and the Ghost during her previous shift, and she had sensed some weird sort of connection between the Bomb and the Roach, something a little more than friends. 

“Me and the Roach are just really good friends,” The Bomb said, averting her gaze.

“I never said anything about the Roach.”

The Bomb groaned, pushing back a strand of frizzy white hair from her face. “Is it that obvious?”

“I mean, _I_ noticed.”

“Point taken.” The Bomb huffed out a laugh, and then flopped back onto Jude’s bed so she was lying down. “I’ve had a huge crush on him since high school. We’d both transferred to our school in the middle of high school, and so we were both kind of the awkward outcasts and we became friends. I’ve been stupidly pining over him ever since.”

Jude’s eyes widened. “Wow.”

“Yeah, I know. But enough about my hopeless love life. Today, you’re going onto a date. You have to text me with updates.”  
Jude nodded and then the Bomb helped her do her makeup. By the time Jude was ready, a knot of anxiety had formed in her chest.

“It’s fine if it’s not perfect,” said the Bomb reassuringly as Jude led her to the door. “Just let yourself have fun and enjoy it.”

“Okay. I can do that… I think. I’ll text you after. Hopefully with good news.” 

The Bomb laughed and walked to her car. “I’ll see you at work!” 

Jude smiled. Even if this night ended terribly, at least she could say she’d made a friend out of it. 

~~~ 

Jude shut the door behind her and dropped against it, sighing happily. She, Jude Duarte, had gone on a date, and it had gone well. Really well.

Locke had picked her up exactly on time and driven her to a cute burger place. At first, the conversation was a little stilted. He’d asked her about her project with Cardan, and she might have nervously blabbered to fill the awkward silence.

But eventually, Jude had let herself relax and the conversation came more naturally. They moved on to other topics, talking about everything from college plans and parents. In the middle of their conversation, he had reached out and clasped onto her hand. Jude had flushed, but he had kept talking like he hadn’t done anything. 

Throughout the whole date, he was charming and sweet. And he looked really good in his white collared shirt. And then after, when he’d walked her back to her door, Locke had kissed her. Just a brief brush of lips, but it was nice.

Jude floated up the stairs to her room, lips tingling from the memory, and bumped into Taryn. She stepped back in surprise. “Oh, hey.”

Taryn’s eyes took in Jude’s outfit, expression unreadable. “He dropped you off?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Right.”

Annoyance sparked inside Jude. “My date was nice, thanks for asking.” When Taryn didn’t respond, Jude grit her teeth in frustration. “What’s up with you? Why are you being all weird?”

Taryn scoffed. “Nothing. Maybe I just don’t want to hear about how perfect your date was.”

“Fine. Okay. Forget I said anything.” Jude marched into her room, shutting the door behind her. She didn’t even know why they were fighting. Frustration pricked at her, and her good mood disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

~~~

The next morning, Jude got ready with a renewed determination not to let anyone ruin her day. Not Taryn, and definitely not Cardan, who had invited himself over by text to work on their project. Jude hadn’t even bothered objecting, knowing it was useless.

After texting the Bomb about her date and receiving an excited frenzy of messages back, she peeled off her face mask and turned on her favorite playlist as she ate her breakfast. 

When the doorbell rang a few minutes later, Jude put her plate in the dishwasher and washed her hands before going to open the door. Jude exhaled and mentally prepared herself, peeking through the peephole on the door. 

But nothing in the world could have prepared her for what she saw next: Cardan Greenbriar, standing outside her front door, bouquet of red roses in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is definitely going to be interestinggg


	6. Chapter 6

Jude blinked. And then blinked again. But Cardan was still standing at her door, holding a bouquet of red roses, very much real. Under her confusion, a distant part of her felt a surprising flutter of warmth.

She opened the door hesitantly and was greeted with Cardan’s scowl. He was dressed in jeans and a simple white T-shirt that somehow made his already attractive features stand out even more. His sharp black hair fell over his forehead in tantalizing waves. With the roses in hand, he looked like a heartbreak waiting to happen. 

Jude opened her mouth, unsure of what to say, but he interrupted.

“Don’t worry. They’re not from me.” He shoved them in her arms like they had burned him. Clearly, the idea of giving her flowers completely repulsed him.

“I- okay. Hi to you too.” She stepped back to let him in, and his jaw ticked. “Someone clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

He stepped in and Jude shut the door behind them. When she turned back to Cardan, she found him looking at her expectantly. She ignored him and walked to the kitchen, resisting the urge to check the note attached, even though she had a feeling she knew who they were from. 

“Want anything to drink?”

“No,” he replied bluntly.

Jude pursed her lips. “Okay then.” Clearly, he wasn’t in a cooperative mood. She sighed. “So, I figured we could compare our research to see what-”

“Are you going to put those in a vase?” Cardan interrupted. 

She glared at him. “Are you going to be like this the whole time?” But she stood up and went to the pantry to get a vase.   
She felt Cardan’s gaze on the side of her face as she filled the vase up with water and put it on the counter, but he didn’t speak. The only sound was the steady drip of the faucet into the sink. She picked up the bouquet, inhaling the fragrant scent of the roses. Before she put them into the vase, she untied the note and read it.

_For Jude. Yesterday was fun. We should do it again._

She bit her lip to stop the giddy smile that threatened to break free. Nobody had ever bought her flowers before.

Cardan cleared his throat, irritation edging his voice. “Are we going to do this or not?” 

“You’re the one who asked me to put these in a vase,” she mumbled. She flopped onto the bar stool next to him, annoyed.

She opened her laptop, clicking through to open her research. “Like I was saying before you interrupted me, we should compare our research and see what we’ve got.”

“Right, okay.” He ran his hand over jaw, easing the tension in it. “By the way, they’re going to display the best project on the school website, so we might have to up our game.”

Jude’s head swiveled back to Cardan. “What? Since when? Why didn’t you tell me right when you got here?”

“I was a bit preoccupied.”

Jude narrowed her eyes. “Wait, how do you know?”

He smirked, some of his earlier mood dissipating. “I have my sources.”

“I don’t trust your sources,” Jude shot back.

Cardan leaned back, arms stretching behind his head. “Fine then. Don’t believe me. When Taryn and Locke have their project on the website, don’t come crying to me.”

Jude paused momentarily. She’d forgotten Taryn and Locke were partners. Something niggled in the back of her mind, a thought that wasn’t fully formed. “You think they’d actually win?”

“Locke will try if he knows I… if he knows we want to win.”

After the date, Jude had conveniently forgotten that Locke and Cardan knew each other. She felt the strange compulsion to keep them separate in her mind. “Okay, so say this is actually true.”

Cardan scoffed. “If you really must know, I heard my father talking about it. He’s on the board, and it’s one of the publicity tactics or something to make the school look better. They need to show off for the donors.” 

Jude looked up, surprised. “Oh, okay. I didn’t know your father was on the board.”

Cardan shrugged and redirected the conversation. “If we want to win, we better start working.”

“Don’t worry. We’re winning this.”

“I’m not worried.” The quick, playful grin he sent her startled her, and Jude wondered what they could do if they actually worked on the same side for once.

Jude paused. “Wait, why do you want to win so badly?”

Before he could answer, the garage door opened, and Madoc entered. Jude stiffened in surprise, not expecting her father to be here while her and Cardan were home. She felt weird introducing them, and she didn’t want her father making any assumptions about the two of them like he did with any guy Jude mentioned.

Jude cleared her throat. “Um, Father, this is Cardan.”

Cardan stood up from the barstool, and Jude watched in awe as Cardan transformed into a gentleman, politely introducing himself and ending each sentence with sir. 

“Ah, Eldred’s youngest son. You stay with Balekin now?”

Cardan’s smile wavered but remained intact. “Yes, sir.” She couldn’t help but notice the stiffness in his posture, a sort of rigid tension that Jude couldn’t quite place.

Madoc gave Jude a nod. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it.” He walked into his office and shut the door behind him.

An awkward silence descended over them, until Cardan broke it. “So… you call your dad… Father?”

She didn’t feel like explaining that he wasn’t actually her father, and that their real parents had died in a car crash, so she didn’t. “Yeah, well, dad always seemed too…” she trailed off, shrugging.

“Close?” Cardan supplied, and she nodded. “Yeah, I get that.”

She resisted the temptation to ask him why, but it felt too personal, and it wasn’t like they were friends. Instead she shoved his shoulder. “What was that? I didn’t know you could be a gentleman? All yes, sirs, and of course sir.”

For a second, he blinked and Jude could have sworn she saw a blush on his neck. But then he leaned closer to her across the barstools, almost challenging. His eyes darted to her hand, which was still on his arm, before they flitted to the vase on the counter and then back up to her eyes.

“I can be a decent human sometimes.” He smirked, adding, “But certain people bring out the worst in me.”

Jude’s retort died on her tongue as he leaned further into her space. Cardan’s gaze probed into hers, searching, and her breath caught in her throat.

Heat rushed up her neck, her senses heightening in anticipation of… 

A thud sounded from her father’s office, and Jude quickly pulled away, berating herself. What the hell was that? 

Cardan swallowed and averted his gaze, his hand flexing. When he spoke, his voice was low. “You never came to any of my parties. There’s one on Saturday. You should come.”

Jude was too surprised by the sudden change in topic and the earnest tone in his voice, so she said, “Okay.”

The serious expression in his face disappeared immediately. He grinned down at her, wiggling his eyebrows. “Okay?”

Jude scowled. “I’ll be there. But only because I owe you.”

Cardan laughed, and any remaining tension dissipated. “Don’t worry. I’d never think otherwise.”

“Come on, let’s just finish this stupid project,” Jude grumbled, but felt the corners of her lips lifting up into a smile.

~~~

The next week was stressful, to say the least. By Wednesday, Jude was ready to pass out and call it a week. Her physics quiz that morning had been draining, and she had barely finished before the end of class. After that, she had a presentation in her literature class that she had just barely fumbled through. 

Jude walked to her locker, rubbing her temples to sooth the dull ache growing there. She was surprised to see Locke waiting for her. The few times she had seen him in school over the past week were in passing smiles in the hallways. She hadn’t been sure if she should text him to thank him for the flowers or if she should approach him.

Now, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Jude winced, but quickly covered it with a smile. Her head throbbed, and she didn’t have the energy to sort out why she didn’t like his touch right now.

“Hey, you get my flowers?”

“Yeah, thanks. I loved them.”

Locke’s eyes flitted over her shoulder and then back to her. “No problem.” He leaned in, brushing a strand of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. “Can I walk you to class?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Locke wrapped his arm over her shoulder possessively, pulling her to him. 

Jude was awkwardly conscious of his arm around her shoulder and the glances people gave them in the hall. Something about his actions felt unnatural, almost forced. Or maybe she was projecting her own feelings onto him. They’d only been on one date, and she didn’t feel fully comfortable with him yet.

When Jude got to her last period study hall, she quickly slid out from under his arm, mumbling a quick “thanks,” before entering her class. 

Study hall was basically an hour to work on any of your assignments before school let out, and Jude spent the class with her headphones in, head resting against her arm. She knew she probably should get some assignments done, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

When the bell rang, Jude made her way to the gym next to the soccer field to get ready for practice. Her headache had thankfully subsided, and she threaded her way through the parking lot. 

“Hey,” a voice said from behind her. 

Jude was surprised to find Nicasia quickly walking to catch up with her. “Hi?”

Nicasia rolled her eyes. Her black hair was up in a messy bun, the ends died an ethereal blue. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and fell into step next to Jude. “I figured we could walk to practice together, since we do have the same class last period.”  
Jude blinked. “Um, okay. You weren’t exactly being friendly when you ignored me on the field and tried to shoot an impossible goal instead of just passing.”

Nicasia shrugged. “I was just pissed because I heard Locke talking about you, and I probably shouldn’t have taken it out on the field.”

“Great apology.”

Nicasia rolled her eyes again. “Shut up.”

“So wait… you and Locke dated?” Last she knew, Nicasia and Cardan were together. She really needed to keep up with the school drama.

Nicasia nodded. Something in Jude’s face made her add, “Don’t worry. I ended things with him for a reason. It was great at first, until I realized he was just using me to get at Cardan.”

Jude paused, suddenly reevaluating everything she knew about Locke, and wondering why Locke would want to get at Cardan. Jude was instantly curious if it had worked.

Nicasia sighed and played with a loose strand of hair. “Look, I know this might make me seem like a jealous ex, but Locke… he likes drama. He likes to create drama. I saw him with you in the hallway today, and despite our differences, I don’t want you to get in caught in it.”

Jude didn’t know what to make of this information, but Nicasia seemed to be genuine. Something about her date with Locke had felt… a little too perfect. Then, she hadn’t thought it was a bad thing, but now she felt as though she had been played. “Thanks for the warning, I guess.”

Nicasia opened the door to the gym. “I wish someone had given me one, but I should have known better.” They both silently entered their separate changing rooms to put on their soccer gear. 

Jude’s thoughts wandered as she slipped out of her jeans and into her soccer shorts. Even though she did enjoy their date, she realized she didn’t really know Locke. What Nicasia said about Locke could be true, and if it was, Jude absolutely did not want to take things further with him. 

Jude found she wasn’t as disappointed as she should be at the thought. Besides flirting with each other, they didn’t really have anything in common that connected them. If she really thought about it, she knew whatever was between them wasn’t going to last, and that it mainly for fun. Yes, the first date went pretty well and she loved the attention, but what about after? She wasn’t very good at relationships in general, and she was bound to do something wrong. 

When Jude came out, she silently sat next to Nicasia on the bench next to the lockers. Jude leaned down to slide her foot into her cleats, and her foot came in contact with a warm gooey substance. She yelped, pulling her foot out of her shoe. 

“What?” Nicasia asked. She snorted when she saw the green sludge on Jude’s sock. “Oh.”

Jude seethed. “Ugh, Cardan. I knew he was planning something.”

Nicasia gave her a long look, tying her hair back into a ponytail, and then getting up and getting her napkins. “You two are still doing this?”

Jude wondered just how much Nicasia knew about their prank war as she cleaned out the inside of her shoe as much as she could. Despite her best efforts, some of the sludge remained stuck to the bottom. “I mean, if one of us stops, it means the other person wins. And I can’t let him win.”

“You’re both idiots.” 

Jude laughed, shrugging. “As long as I beat him, I don’t care.” 

Nicasia stood up, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder. “When you two finally get together, I’m going to throw a party.”  
Jude sputtered. “What? We’re not- he doesn’t- what?”

“Uh huh, right.” Nicasia smirked as she walked to the door. “See you on the field.”

Jude scowled as Nicasia shut the door of the gym behind her, leaving Jude in silence. Why did Nicasia think her and Cardan would ever… get together? Jude shook her head, and opened her gym bag to find her headband. A piece of paper fluttered out, and Jude picked it up. There was no name on it, but once she read it, she knew exactly who it was from. 

_Have a “sensational” time at practice. See you on Saturday._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, the party scene. Would it be a high school au without one?


	7. Chapter 7

Jude shifted in her seat uncomfortably as she glanced at Taryn in the driver’s seat, her light makeup and soft pink dress making her look sweet and innocent, especially compared to Jude’s mostly black outfit. Apparently, Taryn had also wanted to Cardan’s party, so they were forced to drive there together. A stilted silence hung over them the whole drive, and Jude did nothing to break it, opting to stare out the window.

Cardan’s neighborhood reeked of luxury. The houses sat far apart, with sprawling, perfectly groomed lawns. Cardan’s house, or better put, mansion, loomed in a secluded corner at the end of the street. The house was perfectly symmetrical, a balcony and long glass windows on each side, its perfection making it seem cold and impersonal. Golden lights reflected against the polished driveway, which was already packed with cars.

Jude could already hear the thumping music coming from inside. She closed the car door behind her and followed Taryn as they walked down the street towards Cardan’s house. 

They pushed through the front door and into the entryway. Two gleaming staircases spiraled on each side of her, and through them was a living room, which was already littered with people. Music pumped through speakers Jude couldn’t see, and kids lounged on the couches in the seating area. The party was already in full swing, and yet everything was much more relaxed than Jude had expected.

“Text me when you want to leave,” Taryn said, voice raised so Jude could hear her, and then she quickly disappeared up the stairs, leaving Jude alone. 

A few awkward conversations and a couple of drinks later, Jude found herself wandering to the kitchen. The elegant marble countertop was littered with empty cups, and a couple of kids Jude vaguely recognized sat on bar stools. 

The fridge door closed, revealing Cardan, who was holding as many water bottles as he could fit into his hands. His cheeks were slightly flushed, his shirt collar slightly uneven, and Jude immediately relaxed at the familiar face. 

His gaze caught Jude’s, and his mouth curved up into a smile. “You came.”

Perhaps it was the easygoing atmosphere of the party, but Jude let herself smile back. “I did.” 

“How was soccer practice?” he asked innocently.

“It was definitely ‘sensational,’” she replied, hands making air quotes. “How proud were you of yourself for coming up with that?”

“You have to admit it was pretty good.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She shook her head dismissively and gestured to the water bottles. “You need help with those?”

Cardan blinked in surprise. “Sure.”

She leaned forward, taking the bottles that threatened to spill out of his arms into hers, her fingers brushing against Cardan’s warm skin. 

“We can take these upstairs. A whole bunch of us are playing ping pong if you want to come.”

“Sure. But don’t blame me when I beat you in front of everyone.”

“That confident?”

“Of course,” she quipped, following him as he pushed their way up the stairs and into a wide game room. A plush couch sat facing away from them, angled towards the expensive flat screen TV against the wall, switched to the latest basketball game. Behind it was the table tennis table, and a group of guys surrounded it, cheering as one of the players scored a point. 

Cardan set the water bottles on a counter in the far corner of the room, and Jude did the same. 

Cardan gently grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the table tennis table. “You ready to lose?”

Jude scoffed. “In your dreams, Greenbriar.”

“Ok everyone, move it,” Cardan announced. “Duarte here thinks she can beat me.” The two guys playing rolled their eyes but handed Cardan the rackets.

“Knows. I know I can beat you,” Jude corrected. One of the guys who had been playing whistled. Adam, she recognized. She was pretty sure she had study hall with him.

Adam grinned at Jude. “Please put him in his place. This guy needs to knock his ego down a couple pegs.”

Jude laughed. “Tell me about it.”

Cardan ignored them, rolling his shoulders back and brushing a loose curl away from his face, offering Jude the ball. “I’ll let you serve.”

Jude just rolled her eyes and took the ball from his hands. “How kind of you. You ready?”

Cardan nodded and Jude served. The ball flew over the net, and Cardan quickly leaned to his right, but before he could return it, the ball spun sideways and out of his reach. 

Cardan cursed, and a girl in the corner cheered.

Jude had failed to mention to Cardan that she had been playing table tennis at her local gym for years now and had even beat a couple of college students in a tournament. It was safe to say she was pretty good at it.

Cardan retrieved the ball from the floor and tossed it back to her. His dark eyes were filled with mirth when they met hers across the table. “Okay, Jude, I see how you’re playing.” A sharp flare of anticipation went through her as she lifted her racket for her next serve. This time, Cardan expected her move and hit the ball swiftly back, starting a back and forth rally between them. 

When she missed a particularly hard corner shot, a smirk tugged at Cardan’s mouth. 

“Okay, Cardan, I see how you’re playing,” she mimicked. 

And so the game went.

After every point, Adam called out the score. A crowd began to form around them as the game intensified, sweat beading on Jude’s neck. The familiar urge to defeat him welled up inside her, the competition between them now in a tangible form.

It seemed Cardan thought the same, because his ever-present smirk was gone, his brow furrowed and lip bitten in concentration. The realization came, unbidden, that she found that intense look of determination very attractive on him.

The thought momentarily pulled Jude out of her competitive haze, and as Cardan lifted his racket to serve, Jude’s gaze caught on something over his shoulder, or more accurately, someone.

Locke was standing behind Cardan, his arms wound around a girl. She watched as Locke leaned forward and kissed the girl on the lips. A girl who, when she pulled back, had the same chestnut hair as hers. A girl Jude would recognize anywhere, because her appearance was a splitting image of her own. 

Taryn. 

Cardan hit the ball over the net, but Jude didn’t notice. 

Everything clicked together. The date Taryn had been on when Jude needed the car. Her strange attitude after Jude’s had gone out with Locke, which now Jude recognized as jealousy. The cold distance growing between them that Jude had never understood. Nicasia’s warning that Locke ‘likes to create drama.’

Cardan’s voice brought her back to the present. “Come on, Jude,” he taunted. “That one was easy.”

Jude’s racket clattered against the table, her vision red. “That jerk.” If he wanted drama, she’d give it to him. After she slapped him.   
She rounded the table, eyes narrowed, but Cardan blocked her. “What’s wrong?” His eyes followed hers to Locke, whose hand was on Taryn’s waist, and then back to her. Understanding dawned on his features surprisingly quickly.

“Please don’t tell me Locke was the guy that left the flowers at your door.”

“Unfortunately.” She moved to step around him, but Cardan stopped her again.

“Wait.” When she glared at him, he stepped back, chastened. “Look, don’t give him what he wants. He wants you to get mad and confront him.”

“So what? You want me to pretend nothing happened? That my twin sister has been knowingly going out with the same guy as me?” she seethed. How had she been so blind?

“No, Jude. Just wait it out and then you play him.” 

She gritted her teeth, only the thought of revenge letting her acquiesce. “Fine.”

She turned her back to Cardan and Locke, leaving the table tennis table behind, and headed in the opposite direction, towards the table with drinks. She grabbed one, and then walked up to a girl with dyed red hair and a nose piercing who looked like she would help Jude. “Hey.”

The girl appraised Jude. “Hey.”

Jude’s anger left no place for embarrassment. “You see that guy over there? You think you can accidentally spill this drink all over him for me?”

The girl’s brow quirked, but she shrugged. “Sure.”

She pushed through the crowd until she was downstairs, not waiting to see his reaction. She made her way through the front doors, stepping out into the night. 

She had been played. And Taryn had been a willing participant in her humiliation. And Jude had no idea why. There was literally no reason for Taryn not to tell her what was going on. A little, ‘hey, I’m seeing the guy who asked you out, by the way,’ couldn’t have been so hard, could it?

She was suddenly glad she hadn’t made a scene. She was going to humiliate Locke so thoroughly he’d regret ever messing with her. As for Taryn, she wanted to throttle her.She knew her anger was masking a deeper hurt, but she wasn’t ready to think about it. She just wanted to leave.

Her hands went to her pockets, reaching for her keys, coming up empty. Of course Taryn had them.

She shut her eyes, swallowing hard, and leaned back against the cool surface next to the door. The wall vibrated faintly with the music, an echo of the night she could have had. The autumn air was frigid against her bare arms, and suddenly Jude felt very, very alone. 

The door creaked open, the sound of the music heightening before fading back as the door shut.

“That was not how I was expecting tonight to go,” Cardan said. 

She shrugged, feeling Cardan’s gaze on her. She waited for him to mock her for falling for Locke’s tricks, but nothing came.  
Instead he dangled his car keys in front of her and said, “Want to get out of here?”

~~~

Cardan had decided that the only possible thing to do after finding out someone cheated on you was to get yummy fast food (he spoke from experience, he’d said). For all his babbling, he completely ignored her when she asked why he was ditching his own party.

They were on their way to the nearest burger joint when, at the first stoplight, Cardan connected his phone to the speaker. The first beats of a song began to play through the speakers.

“Is this…” Jude trailed off in disbelief.

Cardan nodded his head seriously. “Yes, yes it is,” he replied, before he began to belt the lyrics to none other than Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off. His voice wasn’t even half bad, despite the fact that he was half-shouting.

“Oh my God, please no,” Jude groaned into the palm of her hand as the chorus approached.

“Come on Duarte. You can’t resist this.” He turned up the volume. 

“Cause the players gonna play, play, play, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake,” he sang at her, aggressively shaking his head, and Jude couldn’t help but sing back, half laughing, “Shake it off, shake it off!” 

Cardan’s answering smile was so wide, he was practically beaming at her. Something in her chest shifted at that smile, clicking into place. And then they were screaming the rest of the lyrics together, terribly off key and snorting with laughter, until Cardan turned into the drive through. 

Cardan turned down the music, Jude felt almost giddy. She remained quiet as Cardan gave their order, sinking back into her seat, content. It seemed singing your heart out to Taylor Swift could cure all her problems. She definitely needed to do it more.   
When they pulled up to the second window to pay, she reached for her wallet. Cardan rolled his eyes at her. “I got it.”

“What? No, I can pay.”

“I’m not paying for you. My dad is.” Cardan flashed a credit card at her and handed it to the lady at the cashier. 

Cardan handed her the bag of food before rolling up his window and pulling into a vacant parking spot. The heavenly smell of fries wafted into the air, and Jude dug into the bag and handed Cardan his burger and fries before taking hers out and biting into it.   
After a few moments of silence, save for the slurp of Cardan’s milkshake, Cardan finally asked, “So… you going to tell me what happened?”

Jude swallowed before responding. “What is there to tell? That the one guy who asked me out is some weird freak and went out with my twin sister at the same time and she went along with it?”

Cardan winced.

“Why can’t a normal guy just ask me out for once?” she groused.

“I think… most guys are intimidated by you.” 

“Really?” Cardan gave her a look. “Okay, maybe I do come off as a little intimidating.”

“A little?”

Jude scowled, and grumbled, “I don’t want guys to be too intimidated by me to even talk to me.”

“Then maybe don’t glare when they try to approach you.”

“I don’t glare.”

“You do every time I approach.”

“You’re different.”

Cardan turned to her, challenging, “Yeah, how?”

“You know how,” Jude replied, rolling her eyes, and quickly changed the subject. “Wait, didn’t Locke cause drama between you and Nicasia too?”

Cardan blanched. “You could say that.”

Jude stared at him, waiting. 

“Fine, she ditched me for him, okay? What is it about him that has all of you girls falling for him?” he joked, brushing it off. 

“But I thought you two were… friends?”

“We’ve known each other our whole lives. Sometimes that’s the only thing holding up a friendship, and it wasn’t enough.” He shrugged. “Especially after what he did. We’re not not friends, but we’re not friends either, you know?” 

She nodded, and they fell into a companionable silence, the radio humming faintly in the background.

What made someone qualify as a friend? The only person she could think of was the Bomb, and they’d barely known each other for a couple weeks. 

She knew she tended to be a lone wolf, but it was probably pathetic that she barely think of one person. There were a couple of friends she made in school, but none she ever tried to hang out with beyond that. Somewhere along the line, she had gotten so used to figuring out everything by herself that she didn’t know how to do anything with anyone else. 

But maybe it didn’t have to be that hard, she thought as she watched Cardan dig into the empty bag for any extra fries, the streetlight shadowing his face. Somehow Cardan had known exactly what she needed after tonight’s debacle, and it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her.

She took a sip of her milkshake, the sugary sweetness in harmony with her next thought. Because even if she didn’t exactly have the most experience with friendships, she couldn’t help but think that, despite everything, her and Cardan were very much veering into the friends territory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, this fic is EXTREMELY self-indulgent because my real life is bland okay? it was SO fun to write (and i hope… fun to read?? hehe) also Cardan saying guys in general find Jude intimidating when he’s literally talking about himself,, my boy is crushing so hard
> 
> Thank you so much for reading <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has minor spoilers for Knives Out, just FYI.

Jude’s plan to avoid Taryn for the rest of her existence was foiled the next day at lunch. Oriana had tried a new pasta recipe, and Madoc had made sure Jude and Taryn were downstairs for lunch. When Jude had first moved in with Madoc, days after her parent’s accident, Madoc and Oriana’s relationship had been an enigma to her. But as Madoc scooped extra pasta in his plate and Oriana smiled down at her food, Jude knew they cared about each other more than she knew. 

Taryn shifted on the seat next to her, and Jude studiously focused on twisting her noodles around her fork, choosing to ignore Taryn. She wasn’t going to be petty about it. 

When Taryn reached for the last garlic bread, Jude deftly picked it up, biting into its delicious warmth and ignoring Taryn’s irritated glance. Not petty at all.

“Girls, how was your party last night?” Oriana asked. 

“It was okay, but Taryn really enjoyed it,” Jude responded casually, eyes not leaving her plate.

“I mean, Jude wouldn’t know, she left halfway through.”

Oriana’s watchful gaze jumped between them, and she asked, “Oh? Who did you get a ride home with?”

“Just a friend.”

Jude felt Madoc’s gaze on her, and she sank into her seat, knowing what was about to come. “Was it a boy? Who? Do I know him?”

“You met him the other day. Cardan Greenbriar.”

Oak piped in. “The boy from the soccer game. Vivi said you two pretend to hate each other, but you actually-”

“Anyways,” Jude quickly interrupted. “He just gave me a ride home because I didn’t feel like staying.” She wished Vivi were here so she could punch her.

“You seem to be spending a lot of time with Cardan, Jude,” Taryn said slowly.

“Well, Locke wasn’t around and I couldn’t find you either, so I had to get a ride with Cardan.”

“Who’s Locke?” That came from Madoc, who was suddenly very interested in the conversation.

“Jude’s boyfriend.”

Oak frowned into his glass.

“He’s not my-”

“But you like him, right?” Taryn needled.

What the hell? What was she playing at? Suddenly Jude was glad she hadn’t confronted Locke and Taryn yesterday, if only to be able to watch Taryn’s deceit and try to decipher it.

“We’ve only been on one date, okay?” 

“So you’re leading him on?”

“Can you not?” Jude snapped.

The room went silent, and Oak stared at Jude with wide eyes over the rim of his orange juice. If she wasn’t so mad, she might have laughed at the ridiculousness of situation. 

It wasn’t like this was the first time her and Taryn had fought. They were siblings after all. But it seemed everyone could sense the pure venom between them.

Madoc cleared his throat, clearly at loss for words. “Girls, I think…” 

Taryn pushed her seat back, interrupting him. “I’m full.”

“Same here,” Jude said, and they both marched away in opposite directions.

~~~

Work the next morning was a welcoming distraction from her tumultuous thoughts. The morning drifted by as Jude took the occasional order and chatted with the Bomb. Sunday mornings were usually the slowest, and Jude loved the steady thrum of the café as the sun rose higher in the sky. 

After her lunch break, the Bomb handed her a pink drink, gesturing for her to take it to the table in the back corner of the cafe. Jude scrunched her face at the sugary atrocity and the Bomb laughed. “Not everyone drinks straight up black coffee like you do.”

Jude’s reply was forgotten as she caught sight of the recipient of said atrocity.

Cardan sat hunched in the corner, a navy beanie slung atop his head and airpods in his ears. Jude’s brain went into overdrive, wondering how she was supposed to act around him. Friday night felt almost like an alternate reality, one where her and Cardan actually got along. And she didn’t know if they could exist like that now.

As Jude approached his table, she hesitated, taking in his appearance. His shirt collar was rumpled, as if he had thrown it on without a second glance, and his eyes were shadowed. His hands fidgeted with a pencil, charcoal smudging his fingers. 

“Um, hey, here’s your pink drink.”

Cardan looked up from his laptop, startled, and one of his arms quickly moved to block his notebook from her sight. “I thought you didn’t work on Sundays,” he blurted, pulling out his airpods.

“Oh yeah, my schedule changed,” she replied, playing off the insecurity that statement wrought. He didn’t have to be so obvious that he didn’t want to see her.

“Right.”

His eyes flickered away from hers, and Jude cleared her throat. “Right. Um- Let me know if you need anything.” She quickly turned around, mortification burning through her. She’d thought that Friday night had changed things between them, but she was foolish for thinking so. 

“Jude, wait.”

She turned slightly, waiting. His jaw worked before he finally said, “Thanks. For the drink.”

She nodded curtly, not trusting herself to speak, before going back to the counter. When the Bomb saw her expression, she asked, “What happened?”

Jude sighed. “I don’t even know where to start.”

~~~

After Jude had recounted all the events since Friday, the Bomb glared at her. “You let me ramble about my crappy professor and my crush on Garett all morning while you were sitting on all this?”

“I didn’t know how to bring it up…?”

The Bomb sighed. “I do not miss high school.”

“Just… help me.”

“Okay, first of all, Locke is a douchebag. Second of all, Taryn is also a jerk, no offense. And third of all, why did you go out with Locke instead of him?” The Bomb’s eyes glanced towards Cardan meaningfully.

“It’s not like that. We haven’t even been civil to each other until Friday. It’s… complicated.”

“Sounds like a whole lot of excuses to me.”

“You’re one to talk.”

The Bomb ignored the jab. “Me, Van, and the Ghost are going to the movies after this. Come with us and invite him.” 

“Wait, what? How’s that going to help anything?” 

“Come on Jude. It’ll be fun. I want to meet him and see what his deal is. Plus, he looks like he needs some cheering up.”

Jude watched as he rubbed a hand against the tension in his jaw, and something inside her gave. He had cheered her up on Friday, so she would only be returning the favor.

“Okay, fine.”

The Bomb rolled her eyes. “You’ll thank me later.”

~~~

Two hours later, after her and the Bomb closed the coffee shop for the evening, Jude found in the food court at the mall with three of her coworkers that might be becoming her friends and a guy who had, until a week ago, been her nemesis.

Despite Cardan’s initial hesitation at her invite, he accepted after confirming she wasn’t just trying to prank him. 

Jude had spent enough shifts with them to be comfortable with them, and she watched warily as the Bomb introduced them to Cardan.

“This is Cardan, Jude’s… friend,” she settled on. Cardan’s fingers fidgeted with a loose thread on his hoodie as he gave an awkward wave. “And this is the the Roach, aka Van, and the Ghost.”

At Cardan’s confused expression, Van and the Ghost began to explain the backstory, sentences overlapping as they cut each other off in their efforts to explain each nickname. 

The three of them began to walk ahead of Jude and the Bomb, and Cardan shot a wide eyed look behind him at Jude. She grinned. Even she couldn’t keep up with the Ghost and Garett’s endless bickering. If it weren’t for the sharp contrast in their features, she would’ve thought they were siblings. 

The Bomb hooked her arm through Jude’s as they lined up for the pretzel cart while the three boys wandered off to browse the movies. “I told you it’d be fine.”

Jude rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”

After they secured their snacks, they joined the boys in line for tickets. 

“You might want to hide that. They don’t let you take in any outside snacks.” Garett gestured to the pretzel.

“Crap, okay.” When she realized she didn’t have any bag or clothing bulky enough to hide her pretzel, she shoved the pretzel at Cardan, who was wearing a black jacket. “Hide this in your jacket.”

Cardan raised a brow. “Only if you share.”

“I asked you if you wanted one!”

He shrugged, stepping back. “Fine, then. You can smuggle that in yourself.”

Jude grabbed his jacket and shoved the pretzel inside, mumbling, “I hate you so much.”

“So you keep telling me.” His hands were warm as they closed over hers, gently grasping the pretzel out of her grip.

When she pulled back, the Bomb, the Ghost, and Garett all looked at them with varying expressions. The Bomb looked much too smug, Van confused, and the Ghost thoroughly entertained.

“So you two are… friends?” That came from the Ghost.

Jude felt a flush warming up her neck, forgetting that they had an audience and just now realizing how flirtatious their interaction would seem to someone who didn’t know them. 

Cardan’s eyes glinted humorously. “It depends on her mood.”

The Bomb snorted and nudged Jude. “I like him.” Van’s expression tightened for a fraction of a second before clearing. Jude filed that information to think about later before making her way to the ticket counter.

“Let’s go watch this movie, losers.”

~~~

“I aspire to achieve her level of pettiness,” Cardan whispered into her ear as the credits to Knives Out rolled in. Because of course he would be a movie talker, whispering his opinion every five seconds. 

“I think I like evil Captain America.”

“The blood on her shoe!”

“Is it just me, or is this dude’s accent getting really annoying?” 

His warm breath against her ear left her feeling restless and jittery the entire movie. 

They got up as the faint lights illuminated the room, making their way to the exit. 

Van was giving the Bomb a full analysis of the subtext of the movie, and the Ghost rolled his eyes at Jude from behind him. “Such a nerd,” he mouthed and she snorted.

“So, out of ten, what did you think?” asked Cardan.

“A solid eight.”

“You’re just mad you didn’t solve it until the end.”

“I would have if you didn’t keep interrupting my concentration every five seconds.”

The Ghost laughed. “I’d dock a whole star because that dude’s Southern accent was terrible.”

“A donut hole in a donut hole,” Cardan said, mimicking a line from the movie in his own attempt at the accent. She snorted a laugh, and Cardan’s eyes brightened. 

The group of them made their way to their cars, their voices loud and bright against the chill of the night. Garett had his arms around the Bomb’s shoulders in front of them, and Cardan and the Ghost joked from either side of her. A happiness flowed through her veins that could only be found after leaving a movie theatre, a sense of dreamy optimism and possibility. 

Before she knew it, the Bomb and the Ghost were making plans for the next week. Cardan shot a hesitant glance towards her, his hands burrowing into his pockets, and Jude returned it with a shrug and a grin. And so Cardan agreed, and then so did she.

After the Bomb dropped them both off at the café so they could get their cars, he walked her to her car. He leaned back against her car, hands in his pockets. “So… those are your friends.”

“Yeah.” 

“Didn’t expect you to be friends with a bunch of college kids.”

Jude scowled. “Why? I’m cool enough.”

“I never said you weren’t,” he replied, lips curving up in a smile, but then his expression sobered, eyes flickering to the pavement below. “Thanks… for inviting me out with your friends. You didn’t have to.”

“I know. But I wanted to,” she let herself admit, because something about Cardan in that moment was oddly vulnerable.

His hand reached foreword and tucked a strand of hair that the wind had pried loose behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek. “Jude, I…” 

The shrill tone of her phone interrupted him, and he withdrew instantly before gesturing towards her bag. “You should get that.” 

“Yeah, okay.” Except now she really wanted to know what he had been about to say.

He watched as she got in her car and shut the door behind her. She mouthed bye before picking up the phone. The streetlight casted shadows over his figure, and then he disappeared into his car. Once he was out of sight, she raised her palm to her cheek, still warm from the memory of his touch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t really edit this as much as I usually do and just went with my first draft of this chapter because I haven’t updated in so long, so sorry if it’s kind of bad lol. I started overthinking the whole fic and feeling like I should be planning a lot more than I do, but I realized that this fic was more for fun so I’m kind of just going to go with it and hope you guys like it. Anyways, I plan to update a lot once my semester finishes in two weeks, so look out for that! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading <3 I’m still amazed that people actually enjoy this so yeah :) Let me know what you thought in the comments! I LOVE it when you guys comment!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is 2.5k very self-indulgent words, so enjoy!  
> Follow me on tumblr @/wickedkings

The weeks flew by as the days grew shorter and fall made way to winter. Jude’s time filled itself up with school, soccer, work, and most notably, hanging out with Cardan and her friends. 

After their initial hangout at the movies, the group of them continued to make plans until it became a routine part of Jude’s week. Without realizing it, her and Cardan had wormed their way into the Bomb’s friend group. In fact, Cardan had become even better friends with the Ghost than she had been, sometimes coming around to the café during his shifts to hang out. All of a sudden, she had this widening circle of people in her life, and she found she liked it.

“Jude,” Cardan complained from across the counter, dragging out her name. “The works cited won’t indent properly. Every time I click, it throws off the whole thing.” 

Today he wore all black, which infuriatingly accentuated his jawline and obsidian curls. She would think she had become immune to his in-your-face attractiveness until days like these, where he would walk in the café, cheeks rosy and hair wind-blown, slide into the bar stool across her, and give her this completely aggravating grin that almost made her forget every reason they had been enemies.

Cardan clicked at his laptop in frustration until she relented. “Give me.”

He nudged the laptop across the counter.

“There,” she said after a few clicks. “Cardan, you have to put this in alphabetical order, not whatever this is.”

Cardan held up his hands in mock apology. “Oh, I’m sorry, princess Jude. Let me fix that for you.”

“I wouldn’t be a princess. I would be a queen.”

“Exactly Cardan. Get it right,” the Ghost drawled from the espresso machine. Cardan huffed out a laugh.

She could see why the Ghost and Cardan had clicked instantly. The Ghost’s laid-back attitude and wry humor somehow worked perfectly with Cardan’s theatrical nature. 

The Ghost paused. “That’s it. Jude can be the Queen.”

“I like it.”

“Can I be the king then?” Cardan said, smirking.

Jude sent him a glare that had his eyes widening, before smiling sweetly at him. “No.”

~~~

When she got home from work, she flopped face first into bed. She knew she had to work on college applications, but she couldn’t muster up the energy. Her phone vibrated from her purse, notifying her of a long string of messages from the group chat the Roach had made for the Bomb’s surprise birthday. The Ghost had graciously titled it, “Croutons,” with a dancing man emoji. Jude didn’t bother asking what the inspiration for that had been.

After work one day, the Roach had mentioned that the Bomb had confessed last year that nobody had ever done a surprise birthday party for her. Of course, the Roach had taken it upon himself to rectify that, asking Jude for help with shuffling feet and blushing ears. It was so sweet that she had to say yes. 

They’d decided to do it at Cardan’s place, since he had the house to himself and both the Roach and the Ghost lived with roommates. Her phone pinged with another message.

The Roach: can someone do decorations or something idk

Cardan: I’ll do it

Like streamers and balloons and shit right?

The Ghost: yea

Cardan: oh and those cool party poppers

And the balloons shaped like numbers

Wait should I get fireworks

The Ghost: what

I can’t tell if you’re joking

Cardan: why would I be joking

Jude: I think I should buy the decorations

Cardan: And a pinata

I’ve always wanted a pinata

The Ghost: that would be wise

The Roach: thank God

Jude: I can buy some the morning of

Cardan: I’ll come with you

Jude: no 

Cardan: yes

Jude: no

~~~

“What about this?” Cardan asked, as he pushed the cart through the Dollar Tree a couple days later. He was holding up a DIY photobooth set, probably intended for a 13-year-old girl.

Jude scowled, before pulling it out of his hands and putting it back on the shelf. Shopping with Cardan was like shopping with Oak, but somehow worse. It seemed Cardan was playing “How much can I annoy Jude before she murders me?” and Jude was reaching her limit. She told him as much and he just smiled, nudging her shoulder playfully. She scowled harder.

While Jude waited in line for helium balloons, Cardan checked out the rest of their items at the cashier. When she approached him with the balloons, ready to leave, she found him laughing at something the cashier had said. The girl’s eyes brightened, and she scribbled something on the receipt before handing it to Cardan. 

Jude turned away and pushed out of the door without waiting for him. It was fine if Cardan flirted in front of her, she told herself. It was fine if he texted that girl. It was absolutely fine. The Bomb had teased her mercilessly about how hard Cardan supposedly flirted with her, but now she knew that was just how he was with everyone. She tamped down whatever she was feeling and cleared her expression by the time Cardan caught up to her. 

“Damn, Duarte. You could’ve waited five seconds for me.”

She shrugged and rounded the car. “I got tired of watching you flirt. Did you get the receipt?”

He paused, his hand on the gearshift, before turning to look at her. “Yeah.”

His brow furrowed as he watched her, and she got inexplicably angrier. “What?”

“Were you jealous?” he said slowly.

“No. Why would I be jealous? You can flirt with whoever you want.” She kept her tone completely even, unwilling to give away anything.

“Right, okay.” But he smirked as he said it. 

Jude thwacked his arm. “I was not.”

“Okay, okay, no need to get violent.” 

“You haven’t seen violent yet.”

“Trust me, I know. That reminds me.” He reached into one of the bags, rummaging through it before pulling something out. “Here.”

In his hand was a cheap silver tiara, adorned with plastic pink gems and a line of hot pink fuzz rimming the bottom. 

“What the hell is this?” Jude said, aghast. She was too shocked to protest as Cardan lifted it onto her head. 

“There. You’re the Queen, right? I thought it would suit you.”

“You thought this would suit me?” She narrowed her eyes, before reaching up to check her reflection. “This is a monstrosity.” 

“Hey, I paid for that monstrosity.”

“Yeah, one dollar.” 

“Best one dollar I’ve ever spent. You look cute,” he said, with an appraising look.

“Queen’s aren’t supposed to look cute,” she grumbled, but kept the stupid crown on, only because he looked so proud of it.

~~~

The surprise did not go as planned. The Roach had led the Bomb into the house under the ruse that they were picking Cardan up to go out to eat. They had shut off the lights, making the house look exceptionally creepy, which was what the Bomb had been telling the Roach when they flicked open the lights, jumping out of their hiding spots and screaming “Surprise!” 

The Bomb screamed in terror, jumping behind the Roach and covering her eyes. 

Cardan pushed at the party popper, which exploded with confetti a second too late. “Um… happy birthday?”

The room went silent for a beat, until the Ghost doubled over with laughter. “Oh my God. You weren’t supposed to scream.”

The Bomb stepped out from behind the Roach, hands still covering her face. “Thanks guys. Might’ve worked better if this house didn’t feel like a haunted house in the dark.” Her gaze skittered over the happy birthday banner Jude and Cardan had strung up and the balloons shaped as a 1 and 9, and she beamed. 

“Awww, this is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me.” She turned and wrapped her arms around the Roach, who blushed furiously. 

Jude grinned. They were definitely going to get together by New Year’s. At least that’s what she had bet the Ghost, so she hoped so.

An hour later, after eating pizza from the Bomb’s favorite restaurant, they settled in for dessert. 

Jude battled with the lid of the cake box, which refused to come off. She held the bottom down with her left hand and pulled upwards. The lid flew off, but not before the plastic pushed up and sliced the edge of Jude’s thumb. She cursed as blood welled up against the cut.

The Roach winced. “Ouch.”

Jude pressed her finger to the cut and caught Cardan’s eye.

“Come on. We have Band-Aids in the upstairs bathroom,” Cardan said. 

“Don’t take too long,” the Ghost added with a smirk, eyes watching Cardan. “or we’ll cut the cake without you.”

Jude rolled her eyes and followed Cardan up the staircase. They made their way to the game room, where she had played ping pong with Cardan and watched Locke kiss Taryn. As she followed Cardan into hallway off to the side, that day couldn’t have felt farther.

Jude paused to take in the hallway wall, which was lined with picture frames. On side was littered with pictures of a boy with the same black curls as Cardan and similar features, except for the longer face structure. On the other side was a golden-haired boy at various ages, his smile shifting into a stern line the older he got. 

“Are those your siblings?”

“Yeah.” A pause and then, “That’s Balekin, and that’s Dain. My sisters’ are in the other hallway.” She recognized Balekin’s name from her father. He was the only one the still lived here, as far as she could remember. 

“Where’s your wall of fame?”

“What?” 

“I’m assuming you have your own wall of cute baby pictures.”

Cardan’s eyes flickered away from hers. “My parents got over pictures after the first few kids.”

Something rearranged in her mental puzzle of Cardan, another piece shifting into place. From what she knew, Balekin and his father were rarely home, off on business trips, and the rest of his siblings had moved out. His mom clearly wasn’t in the picture, for whatever reason. Compared to her house, his suddenly seemed so lonely.

As if he sensed where her thoughts were going, he reached for her wrist. “Come on. Don’t want you to bleed out.” The joke sounded flat even to her ears.

They entered a bathroom at the end of the hall, and Jude’s jaw nearly dropped. The bathroom was the most extravagant bathroom she’d ever seen. The marble countertops gleamed under the light of a glittering chandelier. Cardan opened the cupboard in the far corner and took out a box of supplies. The corners of his mouth turned up when he caught her gawking at the chandelier.

“Only you could get into a fight with a cake box,” he said, stepping closer and handing her a Band-Aid and disinfectant.

“Shut up,” she mumbled, flustered for no reason. He was suddenly standing too close, his breath brushing the top of her head. 

The bathroom was deafeningly silent except for the sound of their breathing as she carefully cleaned up her cut. She felt the weight of his stare as she fumbled to open the Band-Aid. 

“Let me,” he murmured. His hand clasped over hers, taking the Band-Aid from her grip before removing the wrapper. He lifted her palm to gently wrap it around her thumb, his skin warm against hers. His hand paused against hers, waiting.

Her heart beat wildly in her chest, and she stared at their hands, too cowardly to look up at him. Instead of letting go, he slowly, so slowly, lifted her hand up and pressed his lips to her thumb. His lips were warm and achingly soft against the exposed skin they touched before pulling away. 

The breath whooshed out of her in ragged exhale, an unfamiliar warmth curling in her stomach.

His mouth moved to the center of her palm, and this time his lips lingered for longer. Her thoughts scattered like moths, and everything faded out but Cardan. Her right hand reached up blindly for his shirt, her legs suddenly unsteady. 

Before she could grasp onto him, loud music came barreling through the walls before the volume lowered, startling her out of her reverie. It seemed like the Roach had finally figured out how to connect the music to the speakers.

She stumbled away from him, and he dropped her hand instantly, his eyes shuttered. The haze they were in dissipated like smoke, and both of them fumbled to recover, their words overlapping. 

“We should-“

“The cake-”

Cardan exhaled, avoiding her eyes with his hand on the back of his neck. “Right. Okay.”

Jude hugged her arms around her, suppressing a shiver at the sudden lack of warmth. 

She followed Cardan out into the hallway, her brain completely malfunctioning. Cardan stopped outside of a room with a “wait here,” before disappearing inside. 

She nodded stupidly, her brain a constant loop of his mouth on her skin, his lips, his lips, his lips.

If the music hadn’t cut in when it did, what would have happened? And why was she disappointed that it had interrupted? This was Cardan Greenbriar, after all. 

Cardan shut the door to what she assumed was his room behind him and tossed her a maroon sweatshirt. “You can wear this if you’re cold.” 

She nodded, unable to find her voice, before slipping the sweatshirt over her head and following him down the stairs as if nothing had happened.

~~~

After they cut the cake, they settled on the floor of the living room in a mishappen circle as the Roach set up a boardgame. Jude had ignored the Ghost’s raised eyebrows and the teasing look the Bomb had given her when she came down in Cardan’s sweatshirt. The sleeves were a little too long on her, and the sweatshirt came up to the middle of her thigh, but it was warm and soft and smelled good, so she didn’t complain. 

“I call Ms. Scarlett,” she claimed.

Cardan stared at the board intently. “I’ll be Mrs. Peacock.”

“How fitting,” the Roach mumbled.

The Ghost offered her a drink from his bottle of wine, but she refused. She couldn’t imagine what words would leave her mouth if she got tipsy right now. The Roach also refused, but Cardan took a huge swig before leaning back comfortably against a cushion. 

She tried to focus on the conversation and the game of Clue, which she usually loved, but her thoughts were still frazzled. Cardan was acting completely normal, joking with the Ghost, and she didn’t know what to think. When her phone rang from the kitchen, she took the excuse to clear her thoughts. 

She found her phone lying on the counter, Taryn’s name lighting up the screen. She stared at it for a second before shutting it off. She was having fun tonight, and even though her and Taryn have been at somewhat of a truce lately, she didn’t want to have Taryn ruin it again.

She walked back toward the living room but paused when she heard the conversation they were having. 

The Ghost’s voice was low, so she had to strain to hear it. “Cardan, stop ogling Jude in your sweatshirt. It’s gross.” Jude stilled.

The Roach chipped in, his voice rough. “I know, even I noticed it.”

Cardan just laughed it off. “As if you don’t ogle Lilliver constantly at work.” 

Jude figured now was as good time as any to enter, so she did. Both the Bomb and the Roach were blushing, and Jude laughed, pretending she hadn’t heard what they had just said. “What’s going on here?” she said teasingly.

“Nothing,” both the Bomb and the Roach said at the same time. 

“If you say so.” 

Cardan caught her gaze as she settled in her spot against the couch, and the look he gave her took her right back to the moment in the bathroom. Her hand heated where his lips had touched, and she quickly glanced away, her neck flushing.

The Bomb’s gaze darted between them, her eyes widening comically at whatever she saw.

Well, shit. She was definitely getting interrogated as soon as the Bomb got her alone. She sighed and settled into their game, easing into the comfort of a good mystery game. Maybe the Bomb could help her figure out what the hell had just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things be heating up 👀 (finally lol) This was supposed to be out last week, but then I just kept writing... so here you go. Let me know what you think in the comments!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're welcome in advance.

That Sunday was one of the busiest at the café. Students were streaming in to work on all their assignments before Thanksgiving break, and by the time they caught a break, Jude was out of breath.

“Damn, I don’t think it’s ever been this busy,” Lili said, wiping her forehead.

“No wonder no one else wanted this shift.”

Lili groaned. “I have to go home and write not two, but three essays. I know I shouldn’t have procrastinated, but it was my birthday week.”

“I’ll help you edit them if you want,” Jude offered. For some reason, she actually enjoyed editing essays, and Lili had definitely taken advantage of that in the past. “And you know it’s called birthday, not birth week,” Jude snarked.

“Shut up, Ms. I-made-googly-eyes-with-Cardan-all-night.”

“I did not.”

“Yes you did. Now please tell me what happened, because I know something did. The sexual tension when you guys came back down was disgusting.”

Thankfully, Jude was saved by a customer who had walked in. But Lili was stubborn, and after Jude took her order, she pressed, “Nope. Spill.”

Jude grimaced before recounting the incident, which she now referred to in her head as ‘the bathroom incident.’ 

Lili gasped comically. “Oh my God. Cardan has more game than I expected. Kissing your thumb after band aiding it? Hold on.” She called out the customer’s name, leaving the drink on the counter, before returning. “Damn, that’s smooth.” 

Jude groaned. “ _I know._ ” 

“Wait, did anything happen when he drove you home?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

Jude blushed even more as she remembered the drive. They had been bickering as usual, as if that could stop them both from thinking about the increasing tension between them. 

And then the silence they’d both been avoiding like cowards descended. The painful, awkward as hell silence.

By the time they got to her house, Jude was anxious to get out of the car. She reached for the door handle right as Cardan spoke, staring straight ahead. “So we’re really not going to talk about it?”

She froze, not expecting them to address it. “Talk about what?” 

“Jude.”

“Cardan,” she mimicked, and he rolled his eyes.

“Fine then.” He pushed his door open at the same time as Jude.

“What are you doing?”

“Walking you to your door.”

“I can walk to my door by myself.” Her foot caught on the edge of the sidewalk, and she’d stumbled before righting herself. 

“Righttt,” Cardan drawled and followed her up the sidewalk.

She ignored him, pulling out her keys and unlocking the front door. “Okay, you can go now, loser.”

“Weirdo,” Cardan said.

“You’re a weirdo.”

Cardan snickered. “Nice comeback.”

“Shut up.” She felt his gaze on her back and was thankful for the dark, because she was blushing for no reason.

“You shut up.”

They both snickered like the immature idiots they were, and Jude knew she had steered clear of the conversation for now. 

When Cardan reached his car, he hollered. “We’re going to talk about it.”

"There’s nothing to talk about,” she hollered right back.

Cardan just grinned. “See you tomorrow, Duarte.”

Her expression must have been doing something weird at the memory, because Lili snorted. “You’re in deep shit.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Um, maybe first off, actually admit you like him?”

“I do not.”

The Bomb raised her eyebrows.

Jude groaned. “I can’t like him. Not him of all people.” 

“But you doooo,” the Bomb sing songed. “You and Cardan are in-”

“Lili, I will not help you edit your essay if you don’t shut up right now.” 

Lili went silent immediately. “That’s just cruel.”

Jude grinned. “So… how’s Van?” 

Lili glared. “You’re not subtle at all.”

“I wasn’t trying to be.”

She wiped down the counter, silent for a beat before she sighed. “Fine. He’s just- I think I need to move on.” Jude opened her mouth to interrupt, but the Bomb continued. “I know what you’re thinking. Yeah, I think he likes me like that, but I don’t know… he’s always so skittish when I try to take things further. And I don’t want to ruin things between us.”

Jude knew there was more to the story, but before she could say anything, a group of girls entered the café, and Jude had to take their orders. She dismissed it, figuring she’d bring it up later.

~~~

Jude didn’t see Cardan at school the next two days. Meeting her college application deadlines took up most of her time, and before she knew it, it was Thanksgiving Break. Vivi came home from college, and suddenly their house was much more lively than usual. 

Before Thanksgiving dinner, Vivi stomped into Jude’s room and shut the door behind her. “I know I haven’t visited much, but what’s going on between you and Taryn?”

Jude pulled out her headphones from her ears. “Why don’t you ask her?”

“That’s what she said too!”

“Viv, just leave it.”

“Well, you’re going to have to figure it out, because even Oak’s annoyed at this point.”

“He is?”

“You are all idiots,” Vivi mumbled on her way out of the room, before popping back in. “Oh, by the way, I think your mac n cheese is burning.”

“Shit! Why didn’t you say that first?”

Throughout dinner, Vivi proceeded to force Jude and Taryn into conversation. The ease at which Vivi slipped back into their dynamic was uncanny after so many months away, but Jude supposed that was the way with family.  
Madoc and Oriana carried the turkey to the table while Jude prepared for the grand reveal. Oak bounced in his seat in anticipation of what had becomes Jude Thanksgiving tradition. When Jude pulled back the foil to reveal her mac n cheese, it looked perfectly fine. Except for unmistakably charred edges.

Taryn snorted. “It’s definitely better than last year’s.”

Jude cracked a grin. Maybe there was something to say about Thanksgiving in bringing the family together. 

~~~

Jude spent the end of the break hanging out with Lili, Van, and Garrett. The weird energy between Lili and Van was palpable, and Jude instinctively looked for Cardan to raise her eyebrows at before realizing he wasn’t there. Cardan had texted that he was busy with family stuff on the group chat, and Jude couldn’t help but wonder if he was avoiding her. Logically, she knew she was being self-centered and he probably was busy, but the thought stung more than it should have.

Monday came far too quickly, and Jude rubbed her eyes as she walked to her first class, bumping into the last person she expected to see: Locke. For the past few weeks, she’d been messing with him, but not too obviously that he would suspect she knew about what he did. Her revenge plan was still brewing, but until then, she could have some fun. 

She and Lili made a game out of replying to his texts with the weirdest responses, just to see how much he could take. Her favorite was when she had ‘accidentally’ sent him a picture of two tampon boxes, asking which one she should get. When he had responded with a ‘whichever one fits??’ Jude had exploded with laughter before clarifying that it wasn’t meant for him, except that it definitely was. 

When she’d asked him if he wanted to come to dinner to meet her sister and her parents, with an emphasis on her dad, he had avoided her for the next two weeks. 

Which made it even harder to control her laugh when his face paled when he saw her. “Sorry, I’d better get going. I’m going to be late.”

“Right. Let me know if you can make it to dinner. My dad really wants to meet you.”

Locke practically tripped as he ran away from her. 

“Damn, Duarte, what did you say to scare him?” Cardan’s familiar voice drawled out from behind her, and a grin escaped her lips, a small part of her relieved that he sought her out. She hadn’t realized how ingrained he was into her routine until she hadn’t seen him for a week. 

His pace matched with hers until they were walking side by side, falling into their familiar groove. 

“Just mentioned how much my dad wanted to meet him for dinner.”

Cardan grinned and handed her a cup full of coffee. 

“What’s this for?”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry. It’s black. I don’t know why you would willingly drink that, but you do you.”

“Yes, okay, but why’d you get me coffee?” 

“Consider it me paying you back for accidentally spilling your coffee that one time.”

“Accidentally, my ass.” She frowned at her cup. “It’s not poisoned is it?”

“Fine. If you don’t want it, I’ll find some other psychopath who likes black coffee.”

Jude hugged her coffee protectively to her chest. “No. Mine.”

“I figured. Also, we need to finish our project. It’s due…“

“Next week, I know,” Jude cut off. “We still haven’t bought a poster.”

Cardan groaned. “We should have gotten one from Dollar Tree.”

“Well maybe you could’ve gotten that instead of a tiara,” she said, grinning up at him as they stopped in front of her class.

Cardan rolled his eyes. “So are you free Thursday night?”

“Yeah. Text me when later.”

“Good. We’ll talk then,” he said, with an extra emphasis on the word talk. His eyes dropped shamelessly to her lips, long enough that it was anything but unintentional, before he smirked and strode away.

Jude called after him, unwilling to let him get the last word. “About the project!”

“Of course. What did you think I was talking about?” He disappeared before she could respond.

Kissing. She was thinking about kissing him. _Ugh._

She grumbled angrily to herself as she placed her bag next to her desk. When she caught Taryn staring at her, she snapped, “What?”

Taryn opened her mouth to speak, but the bell interrupted her. “Nothing.”

~~~

After soccer practice on Thursday, Jude went home to take a shower. While blow drying her hair she texted Cardan to figure out when they were meeting up. He immediately responded with ‘can’t do my place,” and Jude frowned. After a couple messages, they ended up deciding to go to the library at Cardan’s suggestion. 

Oak was throwing a fit over something or another as she headed out the door, and Oriana paused their argument to place a hand on Jude’s shoulder. “Heading out?” It wasn’t in an overbearing tone, just gentle. 

“Yeah. To the library.” Jude hesitated, battling the urge to say something more. Oriana might not have been her real mother, but Jude realized what a blessing it was to have someone that checked up on her and cared the way Oriana did. She swallowed and said, “I’ll be back soon,” and headed out.

By the time she got to the library, Cardan had already texted that he was there. Seconds after she turned off her car, a knock sounded on her window, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Cardan grinned sheepishly when she opened her door. “Sorry.”

She shrugged it off and handed him the poster she from the passenger seat. She glanced around the parking lot for his car. “Where’s your car?”

“I walked.” At the shock on her face, Cardan added, “Don’t look at me like that. Just because we live in a suburb doesn’t mean I have to drive everywhere. Plus, it’s only a fifteen minute walk.”

“Okay, but… car. Fast. Walk. Slow.”

Cardan rolled his eyes and tugged her wrist impatiently. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

They walked through the archway that opened up into the entry area of the library, ‘welcome’ inscribed into the stone. The wall behind the front desk was patterned with hexagons of different pastel colors, and the librarian behind the desk gave them a friendly smile. Her dark brown hair was tied up into a ponytail, strands of gray beginning to appear. 

“Cardan, nice to see you. I see you’ve brought a friend,” she said to Cardan. Her honey-colored eyes glanced at Jude with curiosity. 

“Um, yeah. Mel, this is Jude. We’re doing a project together.”

Jude introduced herself, trying to hide her own curiosity. 

Mel smiled at Jude warmly. “It’s nice to meet one of Cardan’s friends.” Turning to Cardan, she added, “The back room is empty, if you two want to head there.”

Cardan thanked her and gestured Jude to follow him. They passed the kid’s section, which was littered with bright signs and seating, and when they were out of hearing distance, Jude asked. “So… you come here a lot?”

“Um, I guess. I came a lot when I was a kid, so sometimes I stop by.” The tips of his ears turned pink, and damn, Jude felt something squeeze in her chest at the sight. 

“Cool.”

His head jerked up at her response, and whatever he saw in her expression had him reaching for her hand and twining their fingers together. He tugged her hand, and she followed him through the stacks, the only sound their footsteps and the comforting hum of the library. 

She grinned at the floor. This boy never ceased to surprise her. 

They stopped in front of a room divided from the rest of the library by a wall of glass, and Cardan pushed open the door. The opposite end of the room was also completely glass, and the window looked out over the lake behind the library. A table with four chairs was on the left, and a cozy armchair sat on the right. 

Cardan let go of her hand, and she ached to pull it back to hers, feel the warm callouses of his palm against hers. Instead she put the poster on the table and pulled out her laptop. “This is nice. I’m surprised no one else took it.”

“Mel saves it for me sometimes.”

Jude snorted. “You really do charm everyone, don’t you?”

Cardan sat down across her, humming in agreement. “It’s only a matter of time before I charm you too.”

“Keep waiting.”

Cardan kicked her leg under the table, and she bit back a smile. If his leg stayed there, pressed against the side of hers while they worked, neither of them mentioned it.

~~~

“Not bad, if I do say so myself,” Jude said, as she looked down at their poster. Yes, it did feel like a fifth grade science fair project, but Jude was still proud of it. Something about cutting and gluing things together made it seem so much more satisfying.

“Not bad? This is fucking gorgeous.” Cardan pushed his curls off his forehead, his silver rings catching the light. Jude’s brain automatically snagged on how unfair it was that guys could have such attractive hands. Like how did that even make sense? 

Her gaze caught on them now, eyes tracing the veins and the flex of his fingers where they tapped against the edge of the table. She’d noticed that Cardan always seemed to fidget with his hands, unable to keep them unoccupied.

“Jude?”

“Hm?” She pushed her thoughts away and tried to focus. “Yes, gorgeous,” she agreed.

He gave her a strange look, and she felt a flush creeping up her neck. She started hastily picking up the scraps of paper and tidying up the table. When she dared to meet his gaze, he looked like he was battling himself with something.

“What’s up with you and Locke?” Cardan finally blurted a few seconds later.

“What do you mean?”

This time, his words were a little more deliberate. “I know you’re messing with him, but does he think you’re… dating?”

“I don’t know. We only went on one date, and I pretty much scared him off when I mentioned my dad.” She shrugged, confused as to why he was bringing up Locke. “Does it matter?”

His hand stilled. “I guess not.”

Silently, the two of them worked until they had finished gluing on all the information. They cleared up the excess papers and started cleaning up.

“So when are you going to break it off with him?”

“Well, I was planning to do a whole revenge prank thing, but I haven’t fully planned it out yet,” she said contemplatively, scraping off the dried glue from her fingers. 

When she looked up, Cardan was looking at her with a devious smile. “What?”

“I have an idea.”

~~~

The sky was dark when they arrived at the grocery store. As they placed their items on the counter to check out, the cashier gave them a strange look. Jude simply smiled and said, “Isn’t it such a wonderful night?”

At Cardan’s direction, Jude drove to a neighborhood a few minutes from Cardan’s, and they parked in a darkened spot on the side of the street.

Jude’s nerves thrummed in anticipation. She hadn’t been this excited in so long, probably since the last time she had pranked Cardan. She had to admit that scheming with someone made it all the more fun. 

Cardan pulled on a black sweatshirt, and his eyes met hers as he pulled up the hood to cover his curls. The wicked grin he sent her made her stomach squeeze. 

“You take the right, and I’ll cover the left?” 

She nodded, and silently opened the door and stepped out as Cardan did the same. 

They crouched on the sidewalk next to some trees and silently made their way towards the lone house at the end of the street. Thankfully, Locke’s car was parked out front. They hadn’t exactly planned for it if his car had been in the garage.

A car door slammed across the street and Jude looked at Cardan. “Where-”

He clapped his hand over her mouth before she could finish, and he pointed across the street. A car was reversing out of the house next to Locke’s, its headlights nearly passing over them. Her heart beat furiously against her chest.

The car drove away, and Cardan suddenly dropped his hand from her mouth. Her lips burned from the ghost of his hand, and her heart sped up for a completely different reason. 

“That was close,” she whispered breathlessly, and Cardan nodded, his eyes darting away from hers. 

They crept up his driveway, and Cardan passed her three rolls of plastic wrap from his backpack. Slowly, Jude unfurled the plastic wrap, and pushed it over the top of his car until Cardan caught it. He wrapped it over his side before rolling it under the car back to Jude. She hadn’t realized how painstaking the process would be, but they kept at it. The sound of the unfurling wrap seemed too loud against the silent night.

Twenty long minutes later, Jude passed the last of the last of the final roll of wrap to Cardan. She waited for Cardan to secure it into place, shifting impatiently on the balls of her feet. 

A gentle whirring sound cut through the night, and Jude’s eyes flew to Cardan, who was tip-toeing back towards her from around the car.

“Run,” he whispered urgently. 

She grabbed Cardan’s backpack from the ground right as a spray of water hit her arm, drenching her and the side of the car. She glanced behind her and almost laughed, realizing the sprinklers had turned on, not some sort of security device like she had thought in her panic. 

Cardan looked at her, his eyes glinting with laughter. “Come on, let’s go.”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her. 

They ran across the sidewalk like criminals fleeing from a crime scene, narrowly avoiding the sprinklers, and Jude felt giggles breaking out of her chest. Her heart pounded against her chest, her breath coming out in pants. The cold water pressed into the skin of her arm, a sharp contrast to the warmth of Cardan’s hand in hers. 

They ran all the way back to her car, and they finally stopped to catch their breath. Jude leaned back into the car, panting, her hands braced on her chest to hold her heart in.

Her eyes met Cardan’s, who was panting as if he had just been in a police chase, and a giggle escaped her mouth. And then another. And then both of them were laughing like maniacs.

“Who the _fuck_ -” she laughed, “turns on their sprinklers-” another fit of giggles overtook her. “-at _midnight?_ ”

Cardan laughed harder, leaning into her, a palm bracing himself on the car behind her. “Your face,” he wheezed, “when the sprinklers turned on-” 

She could barely breathe in. “The way you said _run,_ oh my god.” She broke into another fit of uncontrollable laughter, clutching her stomach. Cardan wiped tears from his eyes as he tried to regain his composure

Eventually, Jude’s laughter slowed. The sound of crickets chirping and cars whizzing by on the street behind the neighborhood settled into the air as they caught their breaths. Jude leaned back against the car, tipping her head back up to the night sky.

Cardan was still leaning into her, the moonlight casting a faint glow over his face. When she met his eyes, his lips tipped up in a little smile that sent warmth to her stomach. 

With a will of its own, her hand reached up to push back his hoodie, cradling his jaw, and he swallowed, his expression sobering. 

A breeze blew over them, lifted a strand of her hair from her face. Her heartbeat thudded against her chest, a different type of adrenaline shooting through her body as his eyes darted to her lips. 

In an unspoken agreement, Jude leaned up, and Cardan’s head bent down to reach hers. 

Their lips brushed hesitantly, a barely-there kiss, before Cardan pulled back slightly. 

Oh. _Oh._

“Jude.” His voice was hoarse, a question, a plea exhaled across her lips, and she silenced it with her mouth.

Their resolve snapped, and Cardan’s hand slipped to cradle the back of her head as his head dipped and his lips pressed into hers, again and again and again, warm and soft and desperate. Jude buried her hands in his hair, pulling him closer, until she was pressed against the car, his forearms caging her in. 

She had never been kissed like _this._

It felt as though they were running past the sprinklers again, a rush of adrenaline running through her body. Her lips parted under his, and he made a noise in the back of his throat that set her blood on fire. Her thoughts fizzled into nothing, everything except the two of them fading away.

When they pulled back for air, Cardan’s lips were swollen, and both of them were panting. He rested his forehead against hers, one hand still tangled in her hair, and Jude‘s eyes finally fluttered open.

“ _That,_ ” Cardan rasped, “was worth waiting for.”

“Shut up.” Her voice was a little too breathless for her liking. 

“Jude, Jude, Jude,” he murmured as he nuzzled the side of her face, and she felt goosebumps erupt on her arm. “Now you know _exactly_ how to make me shut up.”

“Oh?” She tilted her head, barely close enough for another kiss, before shoving him back, hoping distance would help her regain her composure.  
“You wish. There are other ways to shut you up.”

He stumbled back with a breathless laugh. “I do wish.” He glanced around at the street, as if just remembering where they were. “We should probably go.”

“We should. Wouldn’t want to get caught.”

“Okay, right.” His hands spazzed at his side for a moment before he spurred into motion, opening her door for her with a roguish grin.

Jude didn’t exactly know what she was getting herself into, but she couldn’t bring herself to put an end to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it, the scene that inspired this whole shebang. I hope its as good as it was in my head lol. Let me know what you think in the comments :)

**Author's Note:**

> This began as my self-indulgent quarantine fic and then spiraled into this. Anyways, I hope you liked it! The first seven chapters are already posted on my tumblr but I'll transfer them here over the next week. I also have a couple other fics on tumblr that I'll be posting here soon.  
> You can follow me there @/thewickedkings  
> Thanks for reading :)


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